Memories and Dreams
by TARRANT HiTOPP
Summary: extended version of Memories and dreams by Ashes2Dust87. I absolutely loved it and had to expand so she gave it to me. Tarrant must save Alice from the Insane asylum she has been imprisoned in, but can he save himself? Torture and romance involved.
1. Memories and Dreams

-Memories and Dreams-

Leaving was the hardest part. Watching everyone and everything vanish into darkness. I have yet to forget. How could I? He was there for me the whole time. Funny, how things seem once they are not there any more. I never realized how much it would hurt leaving him standing there; with that look in his eyes, his face trying not to break, his voice whispering for only me to hear.

Everything I look at brings back memories. I still have the dress he made me. Such love and care went into it. WHY CAN'T I JUST MOVE ON? On the outside I look normal. Always playing a puppet when inside I feel like my heart is dying. I look around and all I see is people trying to be someone they are not. Lies, pain, loneliness, and desperation are everywhere. Love isn't real here. Trust is destroyed in mere seconds. Imagination is banned. I feel so alone here. I cry every night and I feel my mind slowly fade away. I feel void of all emotion.

Sleep. My only salvation in this Hell. That is EXACTLY what this place is. A prison. But my dreams torture me. They throw my words back into my face and laugh at me. I kept insisting that haven was all a dream. He was a dream. Now, in my dreams, he's not there. I try so hard to see his eyes, his face, his shadow. But I'm rewarded with darkness and emotion. Why couldn't I just stayed? Yes, I had things left to do, but I would go back in a second if I could.

Odd, the moment I came back and shocked the whole party, my mother sent me away. Said I needed help. That my delusions clouded my judgment and I needed to be cured. I am perfectly sane! I do not belong here! How am I to get help when I'm given so much time to reflect on my regrets and losses? These bars closing in on me everyday, those voices through the hallways echoing in my head every moment. I need him. I need the Mad Hatter. I have so much to tell him. They tried to let me keep a mirror once. I shattered it when I couldn't get through. They said I had " suicidal tendancies." In reality, I have no wish to kill myself, but if that is the only way to be with him, so be it. Until then, I refuse to eat , drink, or sleep till I can be free of this place.


	2. Capture and Defense

-Capture and Defense-

I woke up shackled to a chair and couldn't remember how I got there. Some voices were talking, and I recognized one of them, or was that in my head?

"Alice?" I asked. I saw a figure turn to me but I couldn't see it's face, but he was defiantly male. He leaned in closer and I saw that he was wearing round spectacles in front of blue eyes, his face had many wrinkles and he was wearing something white over his lower face including his mouth and nose. He raised a metal object to my face and suddenly, the tip of it lit up and I was blinded by a bright light. I tried to close my eyes but they wouldn't go. He waved the light in my eyes a few more times before finally turning it off. Another figure walked up but because my eyes were still adjusting from blindness, I couldn't see any features.

"Is he stable?" The second figure asked in a strong man voice. Male, without a doubt.

"Appears so sir." The wrinkled man said. He was about to walk away when the other man grabbed his arm and told him to wait. Then the leaned in close to my face and squinted. He looked incredibly boring with his black hair tied back into a braid with the front curled up into a puffy spot. Long sideburns framed his face. His brown eyes were dull as if he had never imagined anything in his life. Even his clothes were dull, he was wearing a white collar turned up with a peach ascot which was tucked under an off-white vest under a black jacket. Wasn't he hot with all those layers?

"So, what's wrong with him?" He asked as if I wasn't even there. The wrinkled man seemed baffled.

"Isn't it obvious sir? See his hat and all the materials he has with him? He is a hatter, and judging by his skin tone and his medical condition, he has been greatly effected by the mercury of his trade." The black haired man looked annoyed at the other's comment. He rolled his eyes.

"I mean, why is he here and why did he go all ballistic on my men?"

"Oh, not sure sir."

"Is he friendly?"

"After that attack, you tell me sir." By then I had had enough with being a third wheel in this conversation.

" What are you-?" I barely got to finish my sentence when they jumped back in shock. The wrinkled man reached forward above my head and I heard a clicking noise and I could suddenly blink again. I sighed in relief and shook my head trying to get rid of the awful headache that suddenly wiped over me.

"Better?" the wrinkly man asked

"Much thank you. Where am I, and what's going on?" I asked, they seemed to calm when I thanked them, as if they thought I was hostile.

" My name is Dr. Richards." the wrinkled man smiled I decided that he seemed kind, although you should never judge someone before you truly know them (unless their Alice). The other man straitened up even more and softly cleared his throat, this was going to be good.

" I am Lord Malory Riplure, I am in charge of this establishment." I looked around, I was in a dark room and to my far left, there was a table with a few of Dr. Richards's examination instruments. It all reminded me of a torture room, not like Staynes, his was much worse, but this was still not pleasant.

" What are you doing with me? Why am I strapped to this chair?" The chair was made of old wood, splintering and all, it was extremely uncomfortable to sit on let alone be asleep on. Dr. Richards suddenly frowned and looked slightly depressed. He sighed as he walked over to the table and filled a syringe with something, my eyes widened and I swung my head to look at Riplure

"Well, if you really don't remember, you came charging through the front door of my office and demanded to see one of my patients. When I denied you, you started to break down doors looking for her, I sent my men after you but you ripped them apart. Now thanks to you, I have a black eye and three of my workers are in the hospital two with broken bones and one with a shattered tibia." Had I really done that? Had I been so blinded my the need to save Alice that I had almost killed a man? It was possible.

" So what are you going to do?" I asked, more to Richards than to Riplure but he was the one who answered

"You obviously are in serious need of my services Mr.-... What did you say your name was?" I didn't answer but simply glared at him. "Oh so that's how it's going to be is it? I don't want to do this who ever you are, but you are in serious need of my services. Dr. Riplure PHD in mental behavior, and welcome to the Brodland Mental institute for the mentally disabled. An insane asylum. My assistant Richards is going to give you a shot that will temporally disable you until we can get you to your cell. Any questions?" A ghoulish grin spread across his once dull face. He expected me to go down easily did he? Well, we'll see about that!

I screamed something in outlandish at him that should not be translated, and I kicked his stomach, pushing my chair backwards, which was stupidly not strapped down. I swung my myself out of the sitting position, and even though the chair was heavy, I managed to stand and pull it up and point it at the two before Riplure could recover from my blow. He was staring at me in shock and pain and breathing heavily and Richards's mouth was agape and his eyes were wide, he was near to dropping the Syringe. I pointed the chair from one to the other, Riplure had seen the damage I could do with my bare hands, let alone a chair, He was now trying not to upset me, but it was far too late for that.

"Put.. The chair...down." He said slowly as if I wouldn't understand or as if any random word he said would make me kill him.

" Not until you drop the syringe and let me go." Riplure chuckled like it was a joke and Richards looked totally all right with doing just as I asked.

"I'm sorry Sir, but not until you at least tell me your name." I thought up something quick.

"Tobias ." I told him, my father's name. " Tobias Rosland" My mother's maiden name. He smiled and then quickly hid it as not to upset me.

" All right, now if you'll kindly put down the chair Mr. Rosland,"

"Not until the syringe is dropped."

" In your dreams."

"Ah' only dr'am of Alice, n' tea" I argued, although, it might not have been the best comment so I added a little anger into it. " Ye' Slirvish Gallymonger."

" My! You need my help more than I thought. I can understand dreaming about a girl and maybe even tea for you crazy people, but making up words? That is not good for your health Mr. Rosland. In fact, I have the perfect place for you. Come along." With that, I felt a sharp pain in my arm, I looked over to see Dr. Richards hand jabbing the syringe of chemicals into me. With a strongly clenched fist, I uppercut the man and after a quick apology, I ripped the piece of equipment out of me, but the liquid was gone, it was inside my veins. I turned to Riplure and saw that he too worked quickly, he had a group of men at his side and they walked forward cautiously. No need though, the chair was becoming more and more heavy and I dropped it, then I found myself falling, landing in a position that would have been very uncomfortable, if I could feel my arms and legs. I watched as Riplure came and stood over me.

"Sorry we had to do that Tobias, but it's for the good of the community. Oh, and just for future reference, I never, ever, lose." I closed my eyes as he turned and told the workers to take me to a cell near Alice. "Don't let anyone see him. I want it to be a surprise." He snickered.


	3. Regrets and Losses

-Regrets and Losses-

I don't recall all the nights I've spent in this dirty hole so far. I long with all my deepest heart to escape. I am not aloud to associate with the other "patients" any longer. The head doctor says I am "too destructive" and until I can "recover".

In truth, he is not really a doctor, he's more like Stayne, torturing for the fun of it. I am glad that I could free Underland of such a terrible ruler like the bloody big head. Bluddy Big Hid. I could almost hear him saying it.

Why did I leave? I would do almost anything if Time would cooperate just once and allow me to go back and change things. If I could, I would have stayed, and I would have seen to it that Irasabeth had gotten what she deserved, and that Stayne was sorry that he had ever laid a finger on my poor Hatter.

I would go back to the balcony on Frabtious eve and Tell Hatter how thankful I was for having him stand by my side ever sense I arrived. I would have thanked him for risking his life to save me, twice. I wouldn't have just said how I would miss him "When I woke up". I would tell him how I really felt, that I loved him.

"No use wishing. It won't do you any good. Time will never bend to anyone's wishes. No use wishing." But I couldn't help it. I closed my eyes as I lay on the sorry excuse for a bed that was placed in my cell. I would try yet again to dream of him. I would never stop trying. "Never." I whispered into the darkness.

My dreams swam with things, none of which were the one I was searching for. I was walking through a garden, with roses of pale white and cream. I smelled one, but it was scentless. I looked around and suddenly noticed one rose that was colored differently. It was brown, not a pretty color, but I smelled of sweet chocolate and it felt like it was melting in my hands. I took a cautious bite out of it and was shocked when I realized it really was made of chocolate. It was wonderful to taste a sweet, creamy, rose and I instantly longed for more. I searched around and finally I found another rose that was different from the rest. It was tinted blue and it looked almost translucent, I decided to give it a lick. A blueberry flavored candy rose! My tasted buds screamed, More! More! I continued my search, and after a few minutes, I had a wonderful bouquet of candy, chocolate and fruity flavored roses. All I needed now was someone to share them with.

I continued to call for my friend, and as I did, I found that it was growing foggy and soon I was completely lost. I was about to sit and wait for someone to find me when I saw a figure in the distance, someone wearing a top hat. I started to run to him, when I saw another figure jump out of the bushes, grab the hatted figure, and disappear into the fog, the kidnapped was trying to fight, but he wasn't doing very well, and I could just see the hat fall to the ground. I ran forward, but I had lost them. Peering through the fog, I found the hat and lifted up to my eyes and gasped. I was holding hatter's hat. I was too late. It was all my fault...

My eyes broke open and I sat up. A dream. Just a dream that had started as the best dream yet, then I had turned horrible. Hatter was gone, I would never see him again. I pressed my face into my pillow and sobbed. I sobbed until my eyes had no more tears to shed. At that point, I decided I had no chance of falling back asleep without being haunted by that dream again, so I would stay awake.

I sat very still for an hour before I heard movement outside my cell. I watched as two workers dragged a man by my bars. I couldn't see what the man looked like, but he was clearly knocked out. A new paitent perhaps? Another one of Riplure's toys? If only the poor creature had managed to hide, if only he hadn't been found. Another person would now have to endure this hell. Another poor man (it was a thin, but strong looking figure) was going to be 'Treated'.

"Good luck." I whispered to him even though he wouldn't have heard me.


	4. Preparations and Alliances

-Preparations and Alliances-

I awoke on a not-so-comfortable-cot in another dark room. Where was I? Oh yah, cell 15. How had I gotten here? I had been dragged by two of Riplure's workers. Why was I here? Riplure had captured me in my efforts to rescue Alice. Why did I have a strange feeling of Dashavu? It all seemed so familiar. Oh yes, When I got myself captured to save Alice before the Frabtious day!

I sat strait up to look at my surroundings but I instantly regretted it. I was hit with pain as if I had just been whacked by the jabberwocky's tail a hundred times. I fell back down to the cot but missed and toppled onto the floor. I cried out in pain and started to scream for the sake of screaming. Almost immediately there was someone there. No privacy ever, wonderful. I instantly recognized Dr. Richards and I screamed even more and hid my face with my hands. I will admit I was scared of him. He was the man with all the torture instruments. He gripped my wrists in a strong but gentle grasp.

" What's wrong? It's all right! Really! Calm Down! Calm down! Everything is all right!" How could he be so stupid?

" No, it's not! Alice is gone! I didn't save her! I'm trapped in this tiny world and I can't get home! I'm stuck here and I'll never see Mally or Thackery or Mirana or Chesh or Tweedles ever again!" I kept my hands up to my face as I wedged my self into the corner, but he still held tight to my wrists.

"Now, I've gone and lost Alice forever! I'll never see her again! I can't return to Underland without her! I won't! I-I won't! She needs to come home. She needs to. I need her to. Needs-need...fez... I-I'm fine..." I twisted out of the man's grasp and turned away but I still could feel his eyes.

"All better?" He asked softly.

" No." I answered honestly. He sighed and sat next to me. "I didn't say you could stay with me." I told him " I never said you could come in here either. I ramble. It happens all right? I also just lost a dear friend. So, not thank you, goodbye."

" If you keep screaming like that, you'll wake up the whole building." He chuckled, still not leaving.

" I-I didn't know you could wake a building." He laughed, I turned and scowled at him, then when our eyes met, he jumped back in fright.

" Y-Your- EYES! They're- they're- they're Glowing!"

" What? No. They're just reflecting the light that's all." I explained.

"No! They're glowing! They have their own light!"

"Oh really? Odd. That almost never happens."

" Almost?"

"Well, yes. It does happen on occasion, but not often. Only when something's wrong. I think it's that chemical you injected into me. They're likely reacting to the trauma of that chemical. You understand I can't forgive you for that right? For selling me out like that? I only hurt people when I am forced to. How's your chin?"

" All right I guess. Wow you're eyes are creepy. Have they always done odd things like that? Or is it from Mercury?"

"I was born with the eyes. My hair used to be naturally orange, but not like this. The rest is from mercury I think." He nodded. "Where I come from, they don't lock you up like this if you go mad, they appreciate it. It's your character, not your health. You wouldn't understand, I'm wasting time trying to explain Underland to you, and Time does not like me anyway, so I wish not to anger him any further if possible." Richards chuckled again and then turned solemn.

" You know, Dr. Riplure just wants to help. He just wants to make people like you more normal. Understand?"

" By locking us up and Strapping us to chairs, so that they can inject poison into us? What if we don't want to be "normal"? I don't want to be anything other than what I am now. I'm only half mad, honest." He looked at me oddly until I looked away. "I only want my Alice back. She's all I want from him, he can keep his fancy methods and use this stupid cell for someone else. If I could just see Alice, I'd be on my way. I don't even exist around here. Look in files for my name, you'll never find it."

"So you want to just see Alice, and then you'll disappear off the face of the earth?"

"...Basically, yes." I answered. He would never really understand.

" Well, I can see you're not like any of Riplures other patients. He'll have a hard time with you. I think, you'll give him a real good run for his money. He likes to separately treat his patients, with strong force too, sometimes it's horrible to watch, but I have to. Screams eco in my head sometimes, so I ran when it sounded so real. Then, I realized it was you, and because I didn't know how serious your condition was, I got very worried. He'll have a hard time breaking you though, I can feel it." I smiled, He had no idea how hard it was to get me to talk, no idea at all.

After what Stayne did to me, I could sit quietly through almost anything a non-underlander could dish up. If I could calmly smile through a lashing by one person who hated me most, I could survive Riplure.

"You have no idea at all... It's late, and I'm sure you'll have a busy day tomorrow correct?" I asked.

"You and I both. Doctor wants to get started on you right away. Until dawn. Goodnight Tobias. Is it all right if I call you Tobias?" I grinned inwardly that he was so easily fooled. He stood and offered me his hand, I took it, and he helped me up.

" That would be fine." I watched as he walked out and locked the door behind him. I sat back down on the floor and leaned up against the wall. I slept better sitting up than lying down, but I didn't feel like sleeping at all, Nor did I think I would.


	5. Screams and Wonderings

sorry this is such a short chapter but I just wanted to get this in before I went back to Tarrant's POV, but the next chapter is nice and long (Really long) I like this though because it shows what Alice was thinking enjoy:

-Screams and Wonderings-

I must have given-in to sleep at some point because I awoke to the sound of a scream. It was close, and loud. The tone almost sounded familiar, perhaps I really was mad, perhaps I was hearing things. I was about to believe that I had imagined it, when I came again, and I saw a man rush by, I heard the sound of a cell being opened and the screams got louder at first, then stopped completely, and were replaced by someone yelling words I couldn't quite hear. I managed to catch little snippets of the conversation: "No..not!...gone! Save her!..Trapped...Tiny world...Home! Stuck here...Never see...Mir-...ever again!...gone...lost...Forever!...never...her again!..." Then, it faded away to silence. It sounded so much like Hatter it was agonizing! Why must my mind do things like this to me? Although, was it possible that it was Hatter, the new arrival could have been-No! I wasn't going to let myself be so stupid! Hatter was in Underland, safe in the tugely woods, having his never-ending tea party. There was no way such an imaginative being would come to a gloomy place like this. Unless he knew I was here. Of corse not! Hatter would never leave Underland, a place of newfound joy and light, for a dreary world like mine.  
"I miss you Hatter. I Do wish you were here, but I am thankful you're not. I don't wish this upon anyone. Except Stayne and Iracebeth of corse." I was talking to myself, but it felt good. Like He could really hear me. If I could have a mirror, I would feel even closer to him, but I would probably smash it again. I watched as the doctor walked by again, looking worried. He walked as if he was hoping the slower he went, the longer it would take for something to come. He was dreading something. I could tell.  
"Life is hard around here." I whispered once he was out of earshot. "Goodnight Hatter. I hope you sleep well, because I know I won't. I love you." I could almost hear Hatter whisper the last words he had ever said to me.  
"Fairfarren Alice"

like I said, short. I'm poasting the next chapter now so keep going, the next chapter is the reason it's rated T, because T is for Tarrant and Torture (Get the hint).

Please review because I need to know how it's going and if anyone's reading, because if I think nobody's reading, then I'm just gonna kill them both off because my OCD will never let me leve this story hanging. With love,

TARRANT H.


	6. Questioning

-Questionings-

It was morning and I highly doubt that I had slept at all when I heard a loud noise as some men unlocked the cell I was in and grabbed each of my wrists and locked them together with chains behind my back. I could have easily have twisted my arms up over my head until the chains were in front of me but before I got the chance, They each grabbed my arms and started to drag me along. I kicked ones shin so that he grabbed for it in pain and the other jumped away in fright, thinking I was going to kick him too.

"I can walk by myself not thank you very much!" I growled, hearing my own scottish brogue. They nodded nervously and quickly stepped along on either side of me until we reached a door, and standing next to that door was Dr. Richards.

" Good morning Tobias. Have a nice sleep?" I smiled a pathetic smile, dreading what might be behind the door. I laughed nervously.

" Not a single wink." Then, bowing my head as I did entering the Red queens royal courtroom. I just caught a glimpse of Richards shocked-sad eyes. I had made him feel sorry for me, that would help. As I entered, Dr. Riplure was standing there next to another chair that looked even more uncomfortable than the last one.

" Well hello, Tobias Rosland. Come, sit. I got you a new chair." He smiled. The guards were ready to sit me down slowly when I felt a hard, gloved hand shove my shoulder down, hitting my head hard against the back of the chair, and I could almost feel the splinters going into my head. He waved his hand for the guards to leave and as they exited, Richards slipped in and he noticed the hard treatment and he winced slightly. "Notice," Riplure continued as he strapped me in. "This one, is not as comfortable, and the straps are tighter." As he said this, he pulled a tight tug on the wrist straps, nearly cutting off the circulation in my hands. I never even flinched, but looked strait ahead, to Richards amazement and Riplure's disappointment. He continued: " And, It also has ankle straps. That way, you can't pull another one of those stunts like last night." He tightened those straps also to the point where if they were blades, they would have cut my feet clean off. " I didn't want to strap it to the floor because after all, what if I want to tip you over?" He laughed. Then, he grabbed another belt srap that went around my waist. "There. nice and cozy." He finished, "Woops! I almost forgot." He reached around to the side of my head and I felt something wrap around my neck, and then tighten slightly. My eyes widened just a little as I looked at Richards frighgtened expression." Now were done." Dr. Riplure smirked and then turned away. Did he think I could break the straps or something why did he need so many? "Hand me the blue probe" He commanded Dr. Richards. eyes still locked on me, I on the other hand, continued to look strait ahead until my curiosity made my eyes follow Richards as he walked to the table and picked up a metal stick-like thing with blue cloth wrapped around the bottom.

" Sir, is this really necessary? I mean, can we not just talk first?" He pleaded

" But Richards, you said so yourself, he's going to be a challenge. Do you really think just talking is going to get through to him? Do you really think that?" Richards was silent for a few moments as he held the instrument. Riplure snatched the object out of his hand and grinned. "I didn't think so." Then, he turned back to me. "Do you like games Tobias?" I looked up at him. "Really, is that a yes or a no?"

"Sometimes. I much prefer riddles." I told him. He seemed surprised by how level my voice was, not afraid at all.

"Well, were going to play a little game. Here's how you play: I ask you a question, you answer. Answer correctly, and you get closer to being dismissed. Get a question wrong, and... Well, you'll see." It was rude to leave me wondering, but I already knew that it wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Now. Do you have any friends?" That was an easy question

"Yes." I answered

" And what are their names?"

" I have many, let's see... Mallyumkin, Thackery, Nevins, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Mirana of mamorial (she's a queen you know) The Bandersnach is sort of my friend even though he doesn't like me much, Almost everyone in Mirana's court, Absolem, Chesh although he and I don't get along very well, and Alice of corse. That all I can think of." I decided that I had summed it up quite well, a short way of a very long list. I suppose I have a lot of friends.

"WRONG!" He shouted, and with that, he stuck me with the end of the metal instrument and then the pain came, it was like fire had consumed me. I winced, clenched my fists, and squeaked. After a short while, he pulled away and the pain stopped. I looked up at his smirking face. That hurt but I knew this was jut the beginning. I had done this kind of thing before, but this time, I couldn't play stupid. That would not work on this man as It did on Stayne.

"What was-...?"

"That, my friend, was electricity. I shocked you. Now, Let me tell you why. There is no such name as Mallyumkin. Nor any of the others, It's just not natural for anyone to have that kind of name. Understand that all those people that you said do not exist. They're just a figment of your twisted imagination get it? There is no queen of anywhere named Mirana of mamorial, and if there was, I am sure someone like you would not be her friend. The only person you mentioned that I can believe is Alice. She is the only one who exists understand?" I opened my mouth to protest, but before I could say anything, he continued. "Next question: What is the best thing that happened to you this week?" I thought for a minute before I answered.

"Coming to Alice's world. I have never been here before, and even though it is extremely dull here, and everyone seems so worried about their image, I still enjoy new experiences. This world is so odd, a place where you can capture electricity, and use it against people, to hurt them. You remind me of Stayne you know that?"

"WRONG AGAIN!" And he jabbed me in the ribs with is shocker-thingie. This tome, it hurt even more.

"Ahhh! Ouch!" I yelped but I was still steady and not even close to doing whatever he wanted me to do. Once he stopped, he started talking immediately.

" That time you implied that you are from a different world, and that is not factually correct. This is the only world there is, and that's that. It's simply impossible."  
Only if you believe it is." I interjected with a grin, remembering how I said that to Alice when she saw the Jabberwocky for the first time. He shocked me again, but it was over much sooner that time.

" And that was for being stupid. Next question: What is your favorite color?"

"What an odd question... I suppose I like all colors. everyone has a certain way that it fits with another, like you cant have white without light blue and you can't have light blue without Alice. I like all colors is that a good enough answer?" He shocked me again! less this time, but it still hurt.

" I asked what your favorite was, which means I wanted you to tell me one. Also, colors don't have a code or anything of the sorts. You can have White without light blue, and as a matter of fact, Alice looks perfectly fine in her grey uniform. Without any light blue at all." My eyes widened. They have alice in grey! How could they do such a crime? Alice was meant to be a beautiful champion, not a uniformed prisoner!

"Sir, understand, he is a hatter, his job it to mix colors the best way possible to perfectly fit his customer. It's understandable that he would answer something like that."

"Stay out of this Richards. Jut do as your told. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. Next question: Do you believe in fairies, dragons, ogres, trolls, or other fairy tale creatures?"

"I know quite a few fairies as a matter of fact. And Ogres are very rude. Trolls actually have gone extinct because the bloody big head thought they drooled too much, so she killed them all off. Dragons are very similar to the Jabberwocky correct? If so, that defiantly existed." He slapped his face with his palm and jabbed at me again with the probe, getting me right in the chest.

"Ahhhhhh!" I yelped again. Was it getting worse or was it just my mind making everything worse? No It was Times fault! He always had something to do with my pain, it was him for sure.

" I can not believe you! You really don't get it do you? When I ask you a question, you answer it in the most normal way possible."

"But I thought you wanted me to answer truthfully."

"NORMAL IS TRUTH!" He screamed in rage. I as tugging his last nerve. "Watch him! Make sure he doesn't pull anything tricky!" He ordered Richars as he unlocked the door and slammed it behind him. He had dropped the probe on the floor and it had rolled to my feet. I used the little mobility I still had in my feet to kick the discussing object off into the shadows. Dr. Richards watched this act of triump and then turned back to me. then, he rushed over and knelt on the ground in front of me. he placed his old, callused had on my stained and bandaged one with the thimbles inaudibly tapping a tune I used to sing to myself when I worked.

" That was amazing!" He congratulated me. " Knew you were something special. That was the longest session he's ever had, and he still hasn't gotten to you. But he's not going to stop you know. He'll keep at it until he finally breaks you. The only time you'll ever get to yourself will be in your cell." I grinned at him

"Really? That was a piece of pie! Let's do it again!" He laughed, knowing that I was joking.

" How did you withstand that?"

" I've been tortured by an expert before. Stayne was his name, he had been my enemy for a long time, so he didn't hold back at all, then when he'd had his good fun, he sentenced em to death. I escaped of course, and I hadn't ever told him any of my queens secrets. She's real you know, they all are. You believe me don't you?" He looked away and didn't say anything, that was good enough to tell me what I wanted to know. "Oh.."

"It's not that I don't trust you, it's just that, It doesn't make sense. It's not logical."

" I've been considering things that begin with the letter A... Angry.  
" Aquarian?"  
"Abandon."  
"Abacus?"  
"Abuse."  
"Abdomen?"  
"Afflictive."  
"Aerenchyma!"  
"Accident."  
"Ailurophobia!"  
"Alone."  
"Am-!"  
"Alice..." There was a long moment of silence. I missed her so much. After this, I think Dr. Richards finally realized that the point was to say words that set the mood you were feeling. " I miss 'er. Is there anything ye can do? To convince 'im ta' let ma' see 'er again?" He thought for a moment. then, he looked p and met my sad blue eyes. He looked like screaming at the fact that they had changed color, but he managed to stifle it because of my sad look. then he sighed and looked toward the door.

"I'll try. No promises that it'll work."

" Understandable. Oh, and would you mind loosening my wrist straps? I can't feel my hands."

-

Well, i suppose it wasn't that long, but the next one will be so I suggest waiting until you have more time and not getting into the chapter and having to cut it short. Once again I ask, PLEASE REVIEW. I think I want to add little comments at the end more often, it feels good. Thnx again!

TARRANT H.


	7. Motivation and Pain

-Motivation and Pain-

I must have sat there for an hour or more. Had they forgotten me? Had they gone off to do something and forgot that I was still there? I was just about to doze off when The heavy door creaked open, letting light flood into the dark room. I watched quietly as someone walked in, followed by another slightly taller person and another much more petite someone. the door was closed and I heard a voice. It was Dr. Richards.

" Now listen, do not get too excited." Another person spoke.

" Let me do the instructing. Go keep our surprise quiet." That was Riplure without a doubt. I heard a little scuffling and I suddenly saw Richards's face materialize in front of me. I opened my mouth to ask him what was going on, and why it took him so long, when he stopped me.

"My apologies. Dr.'s orders." And with that, he poured a cold liquid into my mouth. I was about to yell at him but when I tried to make a noise, I found that I couldn't, the liquid had stopped me. How had they gotten the silence potion to work? Mirana never could get it quite right. I glared at him and he gave me a very apologetic look so I decided to listen to what Riplure was saying.

"Now listen to me. You will not get too excited and you will do exactly what I say understood?" I herd no reply. " Good. Richards, the lights please." the light flicked on and I was blinded by light. It appeared the other patient was too and when we could both finally see correctly, our eyes met.

"HATTER?" She screamed. I tried to scream too but I found I still couldn't. So I substituted with a huge grin and widened eyes. She broke out of Riplure's grasp and she ran over to me, flinging her arms around my neck, and in the process, the chair. "I knew you were real! They keep trying to tell me you're not but I knew you were! Now I have proof that Wonder-, I mean Underland exists!" I wanted to tell her to calm down and also how much I missed her, but I found that I still couldn't make any noise. "Aren't you happy to see me?" She asked, becoming worried when I didn't say anything.

"Don't bother, I gave him a serum that made it so he can't speak, but don't worry, it should only last another thirty seconds." Richards explained, this was when she looked at my many bindings, including the one on my neck.

"What have you done to him? Why is he all tied up? What have they done to you Hatter? Are you Hurt?" I smiled at her, glad that she was so concerned, and I shook my head to the best of my ability and Riplure exploded.

"What do you mean I didn't hurt you! I electrocuted you for god sake! Can you feel pain?" I chuckled, but no sound came out. I turned my attention back to Alice who was staring into my eyes with concern upon hearing that I had been electrocuted.

" You're a monster. Tarrant would never hurt a fly." My eyes widened. No, she wasn't supposed to call me by my name!

" Tarrant?" Richards and Riplure asked in unison. I shook my head but she wasn't looking. She stood and placed her hands on her hips.

" Of corse. You really kidnapped him, tied him up and you don't even know his name? His name is Tarrant Hightopp, the one that I've been trying to tell you about. I told you he exists! You were starting to make me doubt it but now, I know. He's real. My Hatter of Underland Exists." All of a sudden, I felt like something released my throat from a tight grip and I let out a loud breath. I could talk again.

"Alice! What have you done!" I gasped

"What?" she whined, suddenly understanding that she said something she shouldn't have.

"You were lying? You little rat! You really are a good lier aren't you? Is their anything else you've neglected to be honest to me about?" Riplure glared, he reached forward and pulled Alice off of me. She kicked and squirmed, but it was no use, Riplure was twice her strength and about a head and a half taller than her. He grabbed another chair from the corner and strapped her in with the help of Dr. Richards, who was avoiding my gaze. The moved her chair strait across from mine until the tips of our shoes wer almost touching. Just close enough that we were as close as possible, but not able to have the comfort of being close. They did that on purpose!

"Alice. It's alright. You didn't know, it's not your fault." I told her, locking her eyes with mine for a split second before she turned away to glare at Riplure.

"What's not my fault?" She asked him, even though she should have asked me.

"Your friend here said that his name was Tobias Rosland... We had no idea he was really the madman you always talk about. Thank you Alice. as a matter of fact, I was hoping to have such a specimen in my collection. You told me that he was strong didn't you? That was a challenge, let him try to resist. I've already had a session with him and you're correct. He is strong, all the more reason to persist." He turned to Richards, "Where is the blue probe? I want to try an experiment." Richards turned and glared at me, then he walked over into the shadows and picked it up.

"He kicked it after you left." What was he doing? He couldn't be that mad that I had lied, could he?

"Bad Hatter. I think I'll call you Hatter from now on, It suits you. Although I might not. I wonder... Observe Richards, I think that Alice is the key to him you know that?"

"I don't understand sir."

"What I'm saying is, I think they way to get to him, is by using her, and vise versa. Now, I wonder if alice knows what this little toy of mine does." My instincts kicked in, they told me not to let anything happen to alice.

" Don't!" I burst, Riplure turned back to me. He grinned

"But I have to show her what it does, and I won't do it on Richards."

"Use the bloody thing on yourself."

"I don't think so." He growled, and he turned back to her, about to jab her with the electricity, all I knew was that I couldn't let him to that my Alice.

"Stop! I'll do it. She doesn't deserve that. I've done worse things than she has." I purposely avoided her gaze as I locked my eyes on my lap, preparing myself for the torture that Riplure was so anticipating. He had known that I would stick up for Alice, how could I not?

"If you insist, but I'm getting good use out of it to avoid a waste of energy to power this." He sighed, and he walked over to me, then turned to Alice. "Ready dear? Alright. I'll start it on level one. So Alice, Why are you two so trusting with each other?"

"He's risked his life saving me before, I trust he would do it again. "

"Sorry alice but I doubt either of you have been through anything that gave this man the chance to save you. Unless you almost fell off a cliff in China." Alice had almost fallen off a cliff! Where was China? I didn't have any chance to ponder it because Dr. Riplure stabbed my right arm with the probe, It barely hurt, only stinging a little but I winced visably. I could barely see Alice's eyes widen from under my hat brim. " I'll turn it up to level two. Now, How did you meet?"

"You see, I was wandering through the Tulgy wood, when I met Cheshire cat, and he took me to a gloomy little clearing by an old mill where Hatter, The March Hare, and The Dormouse were having a tea party. The taeparty never ends when I'm not there, so it's a good thing I arrived when I did."

"Alice, I must tell you that not a single word of that made any sense at all." This time, he jabbed it into my other arm. It hurt more, but not by too much. I tightly gripped the arms of the chair and bit my bottom lip.

"Stop it!" I heard Alice yell, and the pain ceased. I continued to look down at my feet and didn't say anything. You're doing this for Alice, she's worth every little poke and prod.

"Ready for level three you two? What are some things you have been through together?"

"When the knave of hearts came looking for me at the tea party and Hatter shrunk me down and hid me in a teapot. When it was safe he made me a smaller dress and we left to go get to Memorial where he said it would be safe. Soon though, the Red knights caught up to us and Hatter saved me by heroically tossing his hat, with me on it, over a lake to the safety of the other side. He was taken prisoner by Stayne, the royal knave and Hurt, I went to save him, but ended up fleeing with a sword and getting him sentenced to death. Luckily, he escaped and came to Memorial with me and he gave me courage to slay the Jabberwocky, a dragon-like creature that killed Hatter's whole family." I winced, remembering hurt more than the shock he then gave me after scolding Alice for telling the complete truth.

"Adjusting to level four. Tarrant here lied, he was good at it too. Why do you suppose he did so, and how did he convince us so easily?"

" Hatter only lies to protect me. He lied to the Red queen when she asked him where I was, he said that he wouldn't know, but he was looking right at me when he said it. Also, I'm sure he convinced you easily because you are all morons!" I couldn't suppress a laugh, even in this time of darkness, Alice was lashing out at them, She reminded me of myself and how I naturally start my completely-off-my-rocker game while in the company of my enemies. Then once I was in mid-laugh, there was pain. My laughing was choked short and replaced by a gasp and a frightened yelp. I closed my eyes tight, leaned back, slightly pursed my lips, and let out a pain-stricken whimper. Dr. Riplure pulled the object away and I gasped for breath. If I hadn't been strapped down, I would have fallen face-first to the floor.

"You be quiet madman! This is not the point where a normal person would laugh."

"Do... Ey look... Normal... te' y'u?" I spat at him. He obviously strained to ignore my comment.

"Now Alice, I'be now turned this up to four of five. Think of Hatter before you answer this. Does this Underland you speak of exist?" Yes! Yes, it did!

"Tell the truth Alice! Tell 'im wha' yer 'art says! Nay worry 'bout me, I'll be alrigh'. Jus' tell 'im the truth!" Riplure turned to me and slapped my jaw hard with his palm.

"I told you to be quiet. This is Alice's choice. Tell me Alice, tell me what is the right thing to say, and Hattie here gets off shock free." I pleaded at her with my eyes. Tell the truth don't give in to this monster!

"Underland exists. No doubt in my mind." Well done lass!

"... Too bad, his pain could have been easily avoided. Thanks to you though, I'm going to have to do this. And I'll let you know, There is a large difference between level three and level four." PAIN! PAIN, PAIN, PAIN, PAIN! I couldn't suppress screams this time. I shouted and went mad with anger. My fingernails dug into the old wood of my splintered chair and I smacked my head onto the backing, but that did nothing but make it hurt more. I continued shouting, only now, I was shouting dirty words in Outlandish.

"Stop! Please stop it! You're really hurting him! Stop!" I heard Alice chime in, but stop he did not. If I didn't know the end of the contraption was dull, I would have thought he was slicing the horrid thing strait through me. Images flashed behind of my clenched eyelids: Horrendous day, Frabtious day, My parents funeral, The red dungeon, and Alice disappearing into smoke. Then it stopped. I was dizzy, half dead, four eights alive. A soft song echoed in my head, I recognized the fast tune, but I couldn't find the words. If I knew them, I surely would have broken out into song, but I was too weak to anything of the sorts. The song was mostly for sopranos like his mother anyway. That's where he had heard it, when he was very little too, but how could he have just remembered it now?

"Are you all right Hatter?" I sagged in the chair and Alice began to sob. I couldn't stand to see her like that, so I use all the strength I had and delivered her a weak smile that hurt me, but healed her. I sat up a little straiter and lifted my head as best as I could. Riplure gaped and Richards murmured:

"Impossible!" I shook off the pain and glared strongly at Riplure with eyes full of hatred. I was not going to give in so easily.

"N-Next question? I'll turn it up to five of five. See him survive this! Alice, Why is he going through all of this for you?" A grin spread across his face at the shocked look she gave him. She looked at me, and I pleaded at her with my eyes to tell the truth, but how could she, how could she say something that she didn't even know?

"I-I-I-I uhhhhh? You're supposed to protect me aren't you?" She asked me I looked up at her and cleared my throat. I spoke in a voice that was strained and chocked.

"Now that you've slain the Jabberwocky, Your really none of my business. But I still protect you because I feel like I have to. If anything would happen to you, I would never forgive myself." I cracked a smile and Alice's eyes pooled with tears.

"How sweet. Well, I believe were done for today. Thank you for your Time Alice. Tarrant, I'll see you early tomorrow morning for your next session." I was injected again with the sleeping liquid by the very large needle and the last thing I saw was Alice being taken away. I protect you because I love you. I know you'll never love someone like me, you deserve so much more than a simple milliner, but I will still love you and protect you until my last breath.

WHEW! That was long. maybe not, now that I look it over, it's not that long at all. whatever! LoVe YoU rEaDeRs!

TARRANT H.


	8. Privacy and Planning

-Privacy and Planning-

So he was here! He had been the man who was dragged by and the man who had screamed. My hatter had arrived to save me again! But now, he was hurt. He was nearly killed because of me, because I refused to give in to Riplure. I'm not sure what happened to Hatter after I was taken away. He had been injected with a tranquilizing liquid that had rendered him helpless. Riplure could be doing anything he wanted with him at the moment. Worries swam around in my head.

I placed back and forth until I couldn't take it anymore. Then I watched as four men walked by. One was leading the other two, who were helping the fourth stand and walk strait. Dr. Richards, two workers, and Tarrant. I leapt over and tried to get as close as possible to them, and they stopped.

"Here" Richards said.

"But sir, there's a girl already in there.

"I'm not blind. I can see that." He unlocked the door and Hatter was pushed in. He landed on his knees in front of me and I knelt so that he wouldn't fall further.

"Hatter are you all right? Did those mean men hurt you? I'm here, it's going to be okay." I felt like a mother trying to calm her child, but Hatter was more like a father than a child, and he was much calmer than I was.

"There. You take it. He's yours anyway." Richards entered and scowled down at me. I looked up at him and returned it.

"What are you talking about?" I asked.

"Riplure is done attempting to treat this thing. It's yours, so you take care of it."

"He's done?" I gasped and I wrapped Tarrant in a tight embrace, but he winced so I let him go.

"He's not going to work with him no, but He's planning on using that thing, to get to you." A catch, of corse. I continued to wrap my arms around my friend protectively.

"What do you mean by that thing?"

"Call it what you want, but it's not human. Richards wanted to snap his neck.-" I gasped in horror, kill my sweet Hatter? How dare he? But Richards continued. "He tried to, but when he did, It just simply went around, like an owls. He kept trying, but it just kept circling around. Then, somehow, this...What ever it is, started to spin his head around like a top. No real human could do that." I laughed, thank god for the Futterwacken. I could just picture Riplure trying to do that, trying to twist Hatters neck but to no avail. Then, Tarrant realizing that it was scaring the doctors, and then putting on a show by spinning it around himself.

"What else did they do to you?" I asked Hatter, but he didn't answer, but leaned into me, as if he was scared. "Don't worry, I won't let anyone hurt you anymore. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault." I buried my face into his shoulder and I barely heard him whisper in a soothing voice.

"Nae y'ur falut."

"Listen Alice," Richards cut in, ruining our moment. "I'm going to tell you something you're not really going to want to hear, but I think to best benefit your friend here, you should consider doing whatever Dr. Riplure tells you to do. Just a suggestion." I felt like hitting the man, but he was probably right.

"If you don't mind Doctor, I'd like some privacy with Hatter. I need to talk to him alone." It felt awkward, asking if I could be alone with Hatter, the thought of it sent pleasant shivers up my spine. What was wrong with me?

"Of course." The doctor turned and walked out of the room with a triumphant grin. Once they had left, I helped Tarrant up onto the bed and I took a piece of cloth from my nightstand, wet it down in the sink, and placed it onto his forehead.

"There. They're gone now. How are you feeling?" He coughed and cleared his throat.

"Much better now that I'm seeing you again. Are we alone?" His voice was scratchy so I took a cup from my food tray and filled it with water, then gave it to him.

"Yes, we're alone. Here, drink this." He swallowed it and looked around.

"What kind of prison is this?" He must have been referring to how my cell seemed more comfortable, with a bed, nightstand, sink, and a small table with a chair.

"I'm a lady Hatter, they make better accommodations for me." I felt guilty.

"Good. Alice, how did you get here?"

"My mother sent me. When I returned from Underland, my boyfriend Hamish had asked me to marry him. That's one of the questions I had to answer."

"What did you say?" He sounded worried, so I smiled and leaned closer to him.

"I had to decline, Hamish is a snobby rich boy. Not the type for me. I want to marry someone who actually has some imagination." Like you. God this was tempting. I wanted to hint the subject further, but I couldn't just yet. He let out his breath.

"Oh... I'm sorry, that he-that he didn't... Work out."

"Well, when I declined, Mother said that I needed some 'help'. That I needed to end my so called 'delusions' and that my dreams were doing bad things to my mind. She sent me here, to become a normal woman."

"Why? Why would anyone want to make someone as lovely as you, normal?" He took my hand and I returned it by taking his other.

"Thank you Hatter. I don't know why, I suppose she just wants to be proud of me, to marry me off to a wealthy man like all the other mothers do to their daughters. Enough about me, what are you doing here?"

"But I love talking about you Alice. I'm here looking for you, I want to return you to Underland, If you're ready. Mirana sent me to find you, because Nevins couldn't."

"How did you find me?"

"It wasn't easy, I had to go into a large house next to the rabbit hole gardens, and I had to interrogate that gallymonger you call Hamish. It was easy to get him to talk though, I just pretended to hit him and miss, and he sang like the Jub Jub bird." I laughed at the thought of Hatter pressing Hamish up against the wall with one hand by his ascot, a foot off the ground. 'Tall ma were Alice is.' He growled in his Scottish brogue. 'I-I-I have no Idea!' Hamish whimpered. Then I imagined hatter swinging his fist and hitting the wall next to his ear, then Hamish actually screeching like the Jub Jub bird, then confessing to knowing where I was.

"I'm glad your here, but you didn't need to come and save me."

"Really? Well as I see it, you need all the help you can get. If you want to get out of here, your gonna' need my help." He might have escaped the red dungeon, but he had no clue how hard it would be to escape from a place like this.

"You can't escape Hatter, They take massive precautions to prevent it."

"Massive like the Bluddy Big Hid's Head?" He asked, making me smile

"Even more so."

"Still shouldn't be a problem. I don't suppose you have a looking glass about?" he rubbed his palms together as if preparing for a big job.

"They won't let me. Last time I broke it because I couldn't get through."

"Did you try to activate it first?" He asked, standing on wobbly legs to look around better, not that there was anything to see.

"What do you mean activate it?" I asked, standing also and providing support to him. He turned and smiled at me,

"Well there's your problem. Mirana has to activate it before you can go through. Do you at least have a small one? Something I can contact Mamorial with?"

"Nothing." I sighed. As a matter of fact, I had no idea what I looked like anymore. What if I was as ugly as Iracabeth! I quickly tried to smooth out my hair, but Tarrant noticed and giggled softly.

"I suppose I can get one, I can try. Richards might give me one." He was quiet for a moment.

"How soon could you get a full length one?" He asked, looking out through the bars and staring nervously at an empty cell across from us.

"It could take a month, possibly more... A week or two at best, maybe." I guessed. He cursed in outlandish under his breath and sighed

"We don't have much time, but if that's what it takes. I at least need a small one, to let her majesty know you're alright. For all she knows, I could have landed in backwardsland by mistake and am in the dungeon of lairomam being painfully stripped of my soul by my own reflection." I stared at him with horror and confusion.

" What? Backwardsland? Your reflection would do what?" He turned back to me and realized that he had been thinking out loud.

"Oh nothing, worst case scenario. I could have taken a wrong door and ended up in Underland's anti-world Backwardsland. The reflections are extremely hostile to us and they would give anything to capture their 'negatives' and steal their soul. Painful process it is, happened to my cousin. If you die, they die so the like to switch places and wreak havoc. It happened to Stayne' father too. That's why he likes to kill, it's in his blood. But off that topic, how long until I can get a looking glass? Any size?" Thoughts of this world I had never seen before swirled through my head and made it hard to answer.

"Umm... A day or two?" I stuttered, but he didn't seem to notice.

"That'll have to do. My I'm tired. I suppose I'll sit and take a short rest. You should sleep too." I nodded blankly and watched as He pulled out the chair slowly and sat, crossing his right foot over his left, and tipping his hat down over his eyes.

"Goodnight Alice dear. Sweet dreams." I settled into my bed and breathed a sigh of comfort, I felt good having him close by, it gave me a feeling of safety. I will now that your here. I thought.

Tarrant POV

"Goodnight Alice dear." My love, my life, my deepest heartbeat. "Sweet dreams" If there bitter I'll chase them away into the outlands and chain them to the forbidden pair. I'll stab them through until they promise to never worry you again. I listened quietly as Her breathing slowed until she was obviously sleeping. I wasn't going to disrupt her privacy but I wasn't going to act like I was sleepy anymore. I sat up and held my hands up to my face. Stains, cuts, bruses, and bandages. Hideous. There was a reason why I never looked into mirriors, one because I constantly lived in fear of my reflection grabbing me and taking my place, and because I didn't look like a noble gentleman. Not that I wanted to be, but if I was, Alice might love me more. Should I listen to Riplure? Should I try to become normal?

I felt the back of my head where there was a bruise form when the man had thrown me at the ground. I had taken a tough beating, and when Riplure had decided he was finished with me, he grabbed my bow tie and pressed me up against the wall.

'Good bye Hatter. Sorry we couldn't have been better acquainted, but you've really messed things up for me, you drove Alice right back to the brink of insanity and now I'll have to start all over. You're completely useless to me now." He grasped my jaw and the back of my head, and twisted. My head naturally went right along with it, what was he trying to do? He looked shocked when I looked at him and asked what he was doing. He continued to twist my head around, over and over. It was scaring him. I grinned and decided to show him what I could do. I spun my head around as fast as I could. The two men screamed and jumped away. I stopped and smiled, but before I could break away, he grabbed me and tossed me into the wall. By then I was half awake and I remember being brought away, but not to my cell. To Alice's!

Dr. Richards said that I belonged to Alice, he also said that I wasn't human, but He was giving me to Alice! Nothing mattered anymore because I was with Alice, and that was what I had planned on doing in the first place. Now all I needed was to stay with Alice, and to get a full length mirror.

I watched outside the bars as a few workers passed by and gossiped about how the newest arrival wasn't really human, and that he was risking his life for a madwoman. I growled deep in my throat and the sped their walk to a trot. Grinning, I tipped my hat over my eyes again and tried to get some rest. This chair wasn't as comfortable as my chair at the head of the tea table, but it was better than the concrete floor I slept on last night. I was almost asleep when I heard Alice murmuring and fidgeting in her sleep. I looked over and saw that tears were breaking through her closed eyes and running down her cheeks. I tipped the chair over in the effort to get to her as fast as possible and knelt by her side and tried to sooth her out of her nightmare.

"Hatter!" She murmered as she tossed and turned around.

"I'm here." I whispered "I'm here and still in one piece. Don't worry Alice." She began to calm and she slowly blinked her eyes open. She looked at me for a moment, and then launched herself at me, wrapping her arms tightly around my neck. It was painful, but it was alright.

"Hatter! I thought I lost you! Thank god it was just a nightare!"

"Now Alice," I scolded " Didn't I tell you to have sweet dreams?"

:) :D :) :D :) :D

YAY! I love updating, I also just got a chance to look at all my reviews so I'm SOOOOOOOO Happy! That little extra push helped me finish this chapter so thanks to you who reviewed ( And if you didn't I expect an apology. LOL. Just kidding). So? Tell me what you think OK?

...

TARRANT H.


	9. Singing and Realizations

Singing and Realizations

POV T.H.

I honestly don't know why Alice was still worried that if I left her side, she would wake up, I would disappear, and she would find that I really was dead, but because she insisted, I sat by her side and promised not to leave. I sat on the carpet, and she kept her hand on my shoulder as she lay in the bed.

"Hater," She whispered after about half an hour. "Can you sit on the bed?" I opened my eyes and turned to look at her. Her eyes were pleading and she obviously wanted me not to disobey. I stood slowly and sat next to her. She smiled and let her hand fall loosely next to me.

"Thank you." She whispered, and she fell into a non disturbed sleep. She looked so beautiful and at peace. I thought about the song That my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. I hummed the tune softly to myself for a moment before the words all flooded back to me and I nearly jumped. The song was about Alice! It wad the song that Had been made by the prophesy of Alice rescuing Underland from evil. A girl who would fall from Upperland to our world. I wasn't a really good singer, especially with this song because it was specially for major sopranos like my mother. But nonetheless, I began to sing.

"Oh, Alice, dear where have you been?  
So near, so far, so in-between  
What have you heard? What have you seen?  
Alice! Alice! Please, Alice!

Oh, tell us, are you big or small?  
To try this one or try them all  
It's such a long, long way to fall  
Alice! Alice! Oh, Alice!

How can you know this way not that?  
You choose the door, you choose the path  
Perhaps you should be coming back  
Another day, another day  
And nothing is quite what is seems  
You're dreaming! Are you dreaming? Oh, Alice!"

Her eyes opened and she looked at me I continued to sing

"Oh, how will you find your way?  
Oh, how will you find your way?

No time for tears today. No time for tears today.  
No time for tears today. No time for tears today.

So many doors, how did you choose?  
So much to gain, so much to lose  
So many things got in your way  
No time today, no time today  
Be careful not to lose your head  
Remember what the Dormouse said, Alice!

Did someone pull you by the hand?  
How many miles to Wonderland?  
Please tell us so we'll understand  
Alice! Alice! Oh, Alice!

Oh, how will you find you way?  
Oh, how will you find you way?"

I smiled at her and she returned it.

"Did you just make that up?" She asked I wanted to say that it had been me who had made it up, but lying would get me in trouble later.

"No. It's a song as old as Time himself. It's about the prophecy of you coming to Underland and saving us. Very old song. Millions of years before I was born it was starting to be passed down from generations. My mom used to sing it to me. I haven't heard it in a long time." I thought about how much I missed my mother and father, and my little sister. My Aunt J. and Uncle Huggy. My whole family, burnt to a crisp! I could feel my eyes changing color and I quickly snapped myself out of it. Alice was saying something.

"It's a beautiful song. I'm not being self-centered or anything, but I really like it. The funny thing about it is that it's all true. Every little word of it, from it being such long way to fall to not loosing your head."

"What about someone pulling you by the hand?" I asked, never truly understanding that part. She thought for a moment before a grin split her tired face and her eyes glinted at me.

"If I recall correctly, you've pulled me by the hand more than once before." I considered that. Was she suggesting I was also in the historic song that had been passed down from Hightopp to Hightopp for centuries before my great-great-great-great-grandparents even existed? I suppose she was. It couldn't be possible, but didn't I say myself that nothing was impossible? I was so confused! If only there was an answer to it all! I caught myself before I started to ramble in my head. That happened even more often than when I did it out loud.

"I suppose it's possible." I murmured, still bogged with confusion. Perhaps Fate still had plans for Alice and I, perhaps we still had a few adventures to take on before our jobs in life were over. Sooner or later, I realized I would have to tell Alice how I really felt. Oh yes, Alice was still mine to protect, weather she'd slain the Jabberwocky or not.

:) :D :) :D :) :D

Okay everyone, sorry for the short chapter, but I wanted to say a few things.

First of all: THANKS TO ALL MY REVIEWERS OUT THERE! I really love you guys soooooooooooo much!

Second: I got this up really soon compared to what I'm gonna be able to do because it's short so don't expect me to be like Superman OK?

Third: Thanks to my two friends Carnys Darkeyes and AkaNoTenshi1890 for telling me to tell who's point of view the chapter's in in the begining so I'm gonna do that from now on.

Fourth: Quick questions on what you wanna see here: Do you want me to put another torture scene thingy in?Do you want Happy ending or sad? And does anyone have anything you want to see them do or have them say (NOT DOING ANYTHING INAPPROPRIATE!)

Fifth: Who here thinks that chocolate stuff goes really well with milk?

Thanks again!

TARRANT H.


	10. Breakfast and Hostility

Breakfast and Hostility

***Tarrant***

I honestly don't know why Alice was still worried that if I left her side, she would wake up, I would disappear, and she would find that I really was dead, but because she insisted, I sat by her side and promised not to leave. I sat on the carpet, and she kept her hand on my shoulder as she lay in the bed.

"Hater," She whispered after about half an hour. "Can you sit on the bed?" I opened my eyes and turned to look at her. Her eyes were pleading and she obviously wanted me not to disobey. I stood slowly and sat next to her. She smiled and let her hand fall loosely next to me.

"Thank you." She whispered, and she fell into a non disturbed sleep. She looked so beautiful and at peace. I thought about the song That my mother used to sing to me when I was a child. I hummed the tune softly to myself for a moment before the words all flooded back to me and I nearly jumped. The song was about Alice! It wad the song that had been made by the prophesy of Alice rescuing Underland from evil. A girl who would fall from Upperland to our world. I wasn't a really good singer, especially with this song because it was specially for major sopranos like my mother. But nonetheless, I began to sing.

"Oh, Alice, dear where have you been?  
So near, so far, so in-between  
What have you heard? What have you seen?  
Alice! Alice! Please, Alice!

Oh, tell us, are you big or small?  
To try this one or try them all  
It's such a long, long way to fall  
Alice! Alice! Oh, Alice!

How can you know this way not that?  
You choose the door, you choose the path  
Perhaps you should be coming back  
Another day, another day  
And nothing is quite what is seems  
You're dreaming! Are you dreaming? Oh, Alice!  
Alice oh, Alice."

Her eyes opened and she looked at me, I continued to sing.

"Oh, how will you find your way?  
Oh, how will you find your way?

No time for tears today. No time for tears today.  
No time for tears today. No time for tears today.

So many doors, how did you choose?  
So much to gain, so much to lose  
So many things got in your way  
No time today, no time today  
Be careful not to lose your head  
Remember what the Dormouse said, Alice!

Did someone pull you by the hand?  
How many miles to Wonderland?  
Please tell us so we'll understand  
Alice! Alice! Oh, Alice!

Oh, how will you find you way?  
Oh, how will you find you way?"

I smiled at her and she returned it.

"Did you just make that up?" She asked I wanted to say that it had been me who had made it up, but lying would get me in trouble later.

"No. It's a song as old as Time himself. It's about the prophecy of you coming to Underland and saving us. Very old song. Millions of years before I was born it was starting to be passed down from generation to generation. My mom used to sing it to me. I haven't heard it in a long time." I thought about how much I missed my mother and father, and my little sister. My Aunt J. and Uncle Huggy. My whole family, burnt to a crisp! I could feel my eyes changing color and I quickly snapped myself out of it. Alice was saying something.

"It's a beautiful song. I'm not being self-centered or anything, but I really like it. The funny thing about it is that it's all true. Every little word of it, from it being such long way to fall to not loosing your head."

"What about someone pulling you by the hand?" I asked, never truly understanding that part. She thought for a moment before a grin split her tired face and her eyes glinted at me.

"If I recall correctly, you've pulled me by the hand more than once before." I considered that. Was she suggesting I was also in the historic song that had been passed down from Hightopp to Hightopp for centuries before my great-great-great-great-grandparents even existed? I suppose she was. It couldn't be possible, but didn't I say myself that nothing was impossible? I was so confused! If only there was an answer to it all! I caught myself before I started to ramble in my head. That happened even more often than when I did it out loud.

"I suppose it's possible." I murmured, still bogged with confusion. Perhaps Fate still had plans for Alice and I, perhaps we still had a few adventures to take on before our jobs in life were over. Alice was still mine to protect, weather she'd slain the Jabberwocky or not.

***Alice***

When Hatter sang me that beautiful song I almost cried. It was all about me! Tarrant wasn't a bad singer either. After discussing the lyrics with him for a little while (me insisting that he was in the song too, and him consistently saying it was possible, but very unlikely), I forced him to relax and he eventually fell asleep. I made sure I was awake because I had never really seen him asleep, unless he had been sleeping at the tea party but I doubt he had been.

Once I was sure he was asleep, I adjusted my self to look at his face. I would have expected him to sleep with his eyes open or to talk in his sleep, but he didn't. His eyes closed, he breathed softly through his nose, he remained still and silent, a relaxed frown rested upon his face, and he looked almost sane.

I was completely disappointed with how normal he looked, but I still thought he was the most handsome man in the world. I leaned over and kissed his cheek lightly, and slowly, a smile graced his lips. I chuckled to myself at the sight of his dream-happiness. And with that, I let myself drift off, smiling as well.

_I love you Hatter, and I wish you would love me too, but you probably don't. I just wish you did because then we could live together in this horrid place and still have our own little heaven. I know that you can't stand being here and neither can I, but now that your here too, it's much more bearable. So sleep well my friend, and thank you for caring so much for my safety that you would put yourself in such a situation for me. Now only if you could love me, half as much as I love you. _

I awoke to the sound of voices outside my cell. It took me a minute to realize that the object I was hugging for dear life was Tarrant's arm, and that my head was resting over his heart. I was perfectly content to just lay there and fall back asleep, with Hatter to keep me warm and comfortable, when I heard the breakfast bell go off and Tarrant jumped about a foot as he was startled from his sleep. I fell over as he jumped out of bed and was on his feet in a matter of seconds. He let out a startled yelp and he moved into position to protect me if needed. I slowly stood and rolled my eyes. (I noticed his eyes were an odd shade of a lighter green than usual, but that was probably just because he was still tired.)

"Calm down. That just means it's time for breakfast." I groaned as I stretched, he sagged wearily and shuffled his feet.

"Whoops. Sorry." He apologized. I smiled at him because he looked so much like a child who had just broken a lamp or something.

"It's alright. You didn't know. Common, we better hurry if we want to get it when it's still hot." He nodded and followed close behind me. As we walked over to the bars of the cell, a worker opened them for us and I felt Tarrant's hand fall onto my shoulder and by how tense it felt, I could tell he was glaring at the man. "It's okay Hatter you don't have to worry so much." I told him as we got far enough away from the man that Tarrant relaxed.

"But I care fer yer safety Alice. I'm not gonna let anythin' 'appen to ye." I sighed.

"I'll be fine, really. Did you happen to get breakfast yesterday?" I pondered this for a moment, because he didn't act hungry, but yet he still didn't look healthy (not that he ever did but more so now than usual).

"Nae. I aint' eaten sense I left Mamorial." I stopped and stared at him

"Then we must make all haste!" I laughed, and we trotted the rest of the way to the lunch hall. We passed a few doors on our way and we slowed down so I could tell him what they were. "The main office, the conference room, and the workers quarters." I told him, also explaining what all of them were used for. We reached the lunch hall before the morning rush and we both got through the line without any problems, except when Tarrant tried to start a friendly conversation with the woman who was serving the tea. I had to grab his arm and drag him away because he was holding up the line to tell her which herbs add the best flavor to an Irish blend. I found a table with nobody at it in one of the far corners, and I thought that if we sat there, Tarrant would be less worried about my safety and more open to conversation, but I was still mistaken. He watched everyone who passed us and if someone made eye contact he would clutch the table tightly with white knuckles.

"Calm down Tarrant!" I scolded as someone passed by and he paused the conversation to see that the man passing by continued. "If you keep this up, no one will go any where near either of us." He turned back to me

"Good." I scowled at him and he hung his head in that same childish way. "Fine," He sighed "I'll try to be a little less protective. But I don't want to share ya' alright?" we both laughed, I took a bite of my toast, and Tarrant copied me, trying to learn how to behave somewhat like an Upperlander. After we both finished chewing, Tarrant put his down and watched it, like he was expecting it to scurry off and hide.

"I'm glad you don't eat tadpoles on toast here in Upperland, I've never had a liking for them. Nor Caviar." I wrinkled my nose in disgust.

"Have you tried it? What do tadpoles taste like?" he shrugged.

"Like slimy little eggs I suppose. Only, they taste like sausage at the same time. Good if your in a hurry. I've never been fond of sausage though, it seems a little barbaric to me, chopping up dead animal meat and cooking it together. I really don't find caviar that good either. Fish eggs, I mean why not just kill a fish child, your basically doing the same thing although you really shouldn't because it's just gross-"

"Hatter!" I snapped him out of his rant.

"Thank you... I'm fine." Just like in Underland. We continued or conversation, but with less interruptions, and I could tell he was trying hard to be calm as the table we were sitting at filled with a few of the men I had already met. I introduced them, but Tarrant was still acting fidgety and nervous.

"Tarrant, this is John Montalvo, Michael Rowe, and Christopher Walker. Boys, Tarrant Hightopp." John reached out to shake his hand but Tarrant simply glared at it for a moment. I kicked Tarrant's shins, he scowled at me, and then rolled his eyes and reached out to shake his hand politely. Michel took one look at Tarrant's hands and yelped, Michel was "in" for being obsessive about cleanliness, his cell was absolutely spotless and he couldn't stand the sight of Tarrant's worn, stained, hands. I explained this to Tarrant and then I explained to Michael that he was a milliner and that those were hands of his trade. Christopher pursed his lips and his eyebrows went crazy, that's how he communicated. "Christopher is here because he believes that if he's silent, he won't ever die." Christopher nodded furiously and grinned, Tarrant looked at him strangely. Slowly Tarrant turned his head to John.

"What is he in for?" He asked me, also slightly intending the question for John himself.

"I'm in for seeing elephants. Every where I look elephants. See, there's one over there, and by the door, and one standing on that table right there. They're blue, yellow, and pink. What are you here for? Alice is here for believing in a magical land where animals can talk and there's a man with a hat like yours that she keeps talking about constantly. She never stops." I blushed and felt like smacking John for that, but Tarrant smiled.

"I'm here for the same reason as Alice. I also believe in that world, only difference is that I have lived there my whole life. Also I can spin my head around in a 9,0000° circle." the others laughed (except for Chris, he stifled his laugh with his hand).

"Wonderful." John cheered. "So, how are you planning to get treatment for that?"

"I don't, it's actually a dance move. I can dance a pretty good futterwaken." Michel commented on how he'd love to see it, and so did the others but I had to remind them all that we couldn't to anything because it was far too public, and just talking about it could get us in trouble.

"Perhaps another time then." Tarrant shrugged, but I got the feeling he really didn't want to dance for these people. We continued on polite conversation, every now and then, we would have to play sarades with Christopher to find out what he wanted to say, and once John let out a scream that he saw a purple alligator, and I had to calm him down.

We were having a nice talk about Michel's job as a sanitation worker, when suddenly the others fell quiet and It took me a second to see why. Riplure entered the cafeteria and after looking around fora minute, apparently found what he was searching for, and he made his way to our table. He was coming up behind Tarrant and before I could warn him, Riplure grabbed the back of his coat collar and pulled him up. With a swift move of reflex, Tarrant swung his fist at his captor, hitting him in the upper jaw. Riplure let go and Tarrant landed gracefully on his feet. Once he realized who it was, he slapped his hand over his mouth and mumbled.

"Whoops." All the other members of the table gaped and didn't say a word.

"Why you're gonna' pay for that!" Riplure growled, wiping his mouth with a clenched fist. He grabbed Tarrant's throat and pressed him against the wall. He let out a laugh of wickedness. I could tell the entire cafeteria was watching him, but my eyes were only for the man he was strangling. He gasped for air and grabbed Riplure's arm. He laughed again,

"Oh we're gonna have fun today."

:O :( :O :( :O :(

OHHHH! What will Riplure do to our poor friends?

thanks for answering my questions to all who did, I know what I want to do with the story now.

Result: Milk and chocolate are a good mix! :D

I had to put that song in there, look up Alice's theme on you tube if you want to hear the song with music.

U guys keep me in stiches with your reviews so keep 'em comming!

Tarrant H.


	11. Madness and Unbearable Pain

Madness and Unbearable Pain

**Tarrant**

"Well?"

"Well, what, madman?"

"What do you want? We're back in this tiny room, I'm tied to this chair again, I'm completely at your mercy, and I'm still at the top of your grudge list for some reason. Don't you ever tire of the same old thing?" He scowled at me, but remained silent. There was a long moment where nor I, Riplure, Alice, or Richards uttered a word and it was painfully quiet. I started to tremble with the awkward silence. "God! Will someone say something?" I screeched. I felt Riplure kick my shins, and I yelped. He grinned and finally began talking, but his voice was like a snake's, so it wasn't what I had in mind.

"I've been thinking,-" I cut him off quickly

"Now there's a shock!" I broke out in laughter. I couldn't help but play my madly mad Hatter act while I was afraid or in mild pain. He kicked me again so I tried to laugh harder as I held back a scream.

" If you really are from the place where Alice says you are, I want some kind of proof. Tell me how you get to this world of yours." I shivered.

"No. I don't want you goin' in and kidnappin' my friends fer your malicious methods! Ha! Two more M words!"

"Shut up! Richards, hand me my shock probe." Alice's eyes widened from the seat directly across from me. She was almost close enough for me to reach out my foot and make contact with hers, but my feet were strapped down.

"No!" She interrupted in the middle of the handoff. Riplure turned and looked at her.

"Alice, be glad that's all I'm doing. Look at him! He's positively off his rocker! And you too! I never said you were allowed back in the lunch hall either! You have both disappointed me greatly." Suddenly, I burst out laughing.

"The Queen of Hearts she made some tarts all on a summer's day;  
The Knave of Hearts he stole the tarts and took them clean away!  
The King of Hearts called for the tarts and beat the Knave full sore  
The Knave of Hearts brought back the tarts and vowed he'd steal no more!"

I chuckled at the confused/scared/shocked/creeped out look on his face as he pointed at me to prove his point. I opened my mouth for another verse, but something else came out instead.

"DOWN WIF THE BLUDDY BRUDLAN MENAL INSTITUT FER AH INSANE!" It took me a moment to remember that that was the name of the prison I was locked in. "Well, haven't said anything like that in a long time. Not sense I was nearly executed." I continued to talk to myself about things that made no sense while the other three persons in the room watched me. Richards coughed, which startled me out of my musings. "Ah! Where in the bluddy world did ye' come frum?" I joked, but I got the feeling Riplure didn't get it.

"My point exactly. Now, I want to know how your 'world' works. What's it called?" He twirled the instrument of torture in his hand in a threatening way.

"Underland." Alice told him. He grimaced in a disgusted way.

"Why is it called that?"

"Because it's underneath our world." I had never considered why it was called Underland, but that couldn't possibly be the reason.

"Who is the ruler?" He challenged.

"The white queen Mirana of Mamorial. Tarrant's her royal Hatter, aren't you Hatter?" I nodded encouragingly. Richards looked impressed, and Riplure also looked impressed, but with a sarcastic air.

"Really? Interesting. Well, the next question will be for him then. What is the queen like?" I though for a moment, it was hard to describe someone to someone else who had never met that someone.

"Mirana is a kind queen... He has taken an oath to never harm another human being, and she is very innocent. Even in times of distress, she is good at keeping a clear head and she doesn't let much worry her. She has this odd thing she does though, she always holds her hands up on either side of her head. I'd show you how but I'm strapped in." Alice giggled and I hoped it was from the vision of me pretending to be Mirana, and not my pathetic attempt to get free.

"Nice try. You're smarter than I thought, but I'm still much smarter." We'll see about that. "Who else is in this beautiful world of sunshine and happiness?" I laughed, if he thought or world was filled with happiness, he should have seen it before Alice killed the Jabberwocky.

" Is nut a wurld o' sunshine an' 'appiness. It used ta be a dark an forbiddin' place. Where ya c'uld ba killed fer tryin' ta feed yer family. It ain't always a nice place, le's jus' get 'at strait!" I growled in my Scottish brogue. He nodded worriedly.

"Understood. Alice, other than Mr. Darkness over here, who else lives in 'Underland' as you called it?" I huffed. I wasn't Mr. Darkness, I was just offended that he would be so careless as to say my home had always been a wonderful place, while my family had been killed by a horrible creature several years back.

"Many animals, like Mictwisp, The March Hare, Mally, Bandy, Bayrard, and Cheshire cat. that's just a few of them. There are some humans too like the Queen, the Tweedles, Stayne who you remind me very much of, and Iracabeth. Hatter is one of the humans too."

"If you say so." I heard Richards murmur. I shot him a glance. Traitor I thought.

"Well, sounds exciting. I'd love to visit-"

"Ye Naut welcome in Underlan'!" I shouted. He stabbed me quickly with his shock probe and continued his conversation.

" As I was saying, I'd love to visit but I don't know how to get there."

"Like I said, Ye' ain't welcome there!" Unless you would like to join Iracabeth and Stayne, then I suppose you could stay for a little while. He shocked me again.

"Anyways, how do you think I could get to this world of yours?" My eyes widened.

" Don't tell 'em Alice! Please! If 'e finds us, e'll kill imprison us all!" More pain! I pleaded at her with my eyes. She looked at Riplure and glared.

"I'll never tell you. I'm not going to let you attack the poor, innocent citizens of Underland and treat them like this." Riplure sighed and shook his head. Well done Alice!

"Poor citizens? What about him? He's a citizen is he not, and look at what I'm about to do to him." Then, he shocked me full force, all five notches, the whole cake of it. I clenched my fists on the arms of the chair and dug my nails into it. I know I let go a scream of pain, but I couldn't hear it over the buzzing in my head. It felt like I was on fire, like how my family must have felt when they, died, only mine was lasting, they had been incinerated in the blink of an eye. It lasted what seemed like forever, but it only could have been about five-seconds at the most. I could feel my system shutting down, my heart rate slowing, and my breathing becoming labored. My eyes were clenched shut, my knuckles where white, and my whole body was tense.

"Alice!" I managed to squeak. I heard Alice scream something before the pain stopped and I blacked out.

**Alice**

"STOP! PLEASE!" I screamed, Finally Riplure pulled away and Tarrant collapsed. He went completely limp and my heart raced . "No. No. Please no." Then I saw the slow rise and fall of Tarrant's chest. He was still alive, but barely. "Hatter? Hatter are you alright?" He didn't respond, and I could just see past his crazy orange hair, that his eyes were gently closed. He was alive, but he had passed out.

"Well, that's more like it. that usually happens at around 4 volts. I've never actually tried five before. Nice to know that it can't kill him. Richards, try to revive him." Riplure said mostly to himself, as he kicked Hatter's foot with his toe.

"You monster! How could you?" Richards walked over and began to pull him up, I saw his face in the same way it had been last night, when he had been sleeping. The poor thing, he had been hurt real bad.

"It's strictly business sweetheart. I hope from now on, you'll do as I ask. Richards, what's taking so long?" He turned back to the doctor.

"He's out cold sir, he most likely won't wake until much later." I felt so bad.

"Look what you've done Alice." Riplure sneered " You've caused your friend so much pain, where all you had to do was do as I asked, and you would have both been let go. It's all your falt." I sat there in shock, he was right, it was all my fault. If I hadn't been so stubborn- "Take that thing away, Back to her cell, but first I think Miss Kingsley here needs to think about what she's done."

A worker was called in and Hatter's straps were taken off. He feel face first onto the floor with an audible thud. That was when the first tear fell, and many other followed as my dear friend was carried away, and they continued as Riplure slammed the door behind him, and I was left alone to think about how it was really my fault Hatter was in pain.

_It's all my fault, it was my fault that he was captured by red knights, it was my fault he was almost beheaded, it was my fault that you left him to come and get himself locked up here, and it's my fault he's in the state he's in now. It's all because of me. Every little bit of it. I wouldn't blame him if he never forgave me, if he just left without me and left me here. I deserve to be locked up in this place forever, not him. He's done so much for me, and this is how I repay him, I nearly get him killed time and time again._ I cried and cried for hours at least, before Richards came in and unstrapped me. He was murmuring to himself at first, then he started to try to cheer me up.

"Poor girl, you look broken in a million pieces. Your friend is waiting for you, he's in your cell still sleeping, but he woke p once and started screaming your name out like a little lost child. He's forgiven you you know, he told me so. Don't be discouraged, he'll be better by tomorrow, I gave him some good medicine too. Come on, let's go see him."He helped me up, and we both slowly walked down the hallway.

When He opened the door to my cell, I ran in and knelt by the bed where Hatter was gently laid out in the position you would put someone in if they were inside a coffin. It made him look dead, but due to the gentle rise and fall of his chest, I knew he wasn't. I laid my head "Hatter, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I should be the one passed out on the bed from incredible pain, you've done nothing wrong, in fact you've only done right. I am so sorry. I wish you could forgive me. Richards came up behind me, but I didn't care, I was too busy burying my face in the crook of my friends arm.

"If it's any consultation-"He began, but I didn't want him to finish.

"Not now. This isn't a good time for your fancy talk." We were both quiet for a while.

"I see." He turned to walk away, but then, I remembered something.

"Wait! Dr. Richards, do you think you cold do me one big favor?"He stopped and smiled the same way you would expect a nice old man to smile.

"Of corse."

:( :) :( :) :( :)

I no my chapters are short, and it took me longer to write this one than usual, but I was also starting another story called Blood And Water, I also had a ski meet and my friend came over and she hates AiW all together. That's one reason she's crazy. Anyways, that might be how often my stories are updated from now on. Sorry for leaving you at a cliff with Hatter's health. (I hope he doesn't die! wink wink). Here's your chaprterly question(s)/task(s):

1) Task: GO READ BLOOD AND WATER! Pretty please with a cherry on top? And I'd also love a review.

2) Question: what is the best kind of pie?

3) Question: don't Hatter and Alice make a perfect pairing? Would you like that?

4) Task: look up** Ballad of Mona Lisa by: Panic! At The Disco**


	12. Awakening and Contact

-Awakening and Contact-

***Tarrant***

I woke up to find Alice half asleep on my arm. Her face and my arm were wet, so I could tell she had been crying. I lifted my head only to have it start throbbing like a drum. I flung my hand up and slapped myself in the face by accident. I let out a cry of pain and I fell back down onto the bed and groaned. I felt as Alice shifted and suddenly her face came into view. Her cheeks were soaked with tears, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot, but to me she still looked beautiful.

"Hello Alice! How did ye' ge 'ere?" I giggled madly, then I dropped my voice down to a whisper and vagely gestered t othe corner. "Do ya' see that dog? I think he's watchin' ya'." I felt totally delusional and confused. Slightly giddy too. "Say love, 'ow long 'ave I been out?"She looked at be slightly confused .

"About a day, maybe two." I looked at her in wonder.

"Wah' 'appened?" I asked. I couldn't have been under for that long. Had I really gone into a mild Coma*? (*Coma: loss of consciousness for a long period.) Impossible. Impossible!

" Riplure electrocuted you remember? I wouldn't tell him how to Get to Underland so he got angry and did this. I'm so sorry. It's all my fault." NO! It was not her fault! None of it! She had to understand that. Then, despite the pain I knew would follow, I sat right up and wrapped my arms around her, placing my lips close to her ear, I whispered.

"No. Absolutely not. Nothing is your fault. You did the right thing, you protected everyone in Underland from the clutches of that horrible monster. If you want to blame someone, blame him. Blame Riplure for this. I don't know what he told you to make you think it's your fault, but he's wrong. And now, I want you to know. I do not want you to ever let someone blame you for something you didn't do ever again. Understand?" I felt her nod and I let her go, collapsing back onto the bed, dizzy with pain.

"Hatter I-" She had more tears welling in her eyes. I scowled as best as I could as I put a finger to her lips.

"Shhhhh... I got to rest Alice, We'll talk about this when I wake up. Alright?" She nodded and I closed my eyes. Soon, I felt her head come to rest in the curve of my neck, her hair felt so soft against my skin. A pleasant shiver ran up my spine, and my I could feel my heartbeat fluttering in my chest. Slowly, I became more relaxed, and after a while, we were both asleep. I was pleasantly dreaming about a few impossible things of my own.

"Wake up you two! If anyone else saw you like this a scandal would surely break out. Get up Alice, I know you're not in a coma. Wake up!" I herd an annoying voice whisper. Alice shifted and I felt her presence leave me. No! Alice come back! Don't get up! Stay down!

"What's going on Richards?" I heard Alice ask. Traitor! Lye down Alice 'e only wants to deceive ya'! I tried my best to get up but all I managed was to roll my head over in their general direction.

"How is he?" Richards asked. I was fine 'til you showed up. Alice and I were not ta' be disturbed. Then ye' 'ad to show up with yer big needles an' such.

"Better. He's woken up once, but that's it. He seemed a bit groggy, but he was awake."

"Good. I'll give him some more medicine in a moment, but first, I wanted to give you this." There was a shuffling of fabric, and then a cheerful gasp from Alice.

"Oh thank you Dr. Richards! You have no idea ho much this means to me."

"Well, I'm sure not. I have no clue what you'll use it for, but as long as you don't hurt yourself, you might get a larger one later." I couldn't stand the though of anything hurting Alice, So I used all my strength to sit up. Luckily it didn't hurt so much as it had last time.

"Alice? What's going on?" I grumbled, clutching my head and stomach. I still felt slightly queazy. I opened my eyes to see Richards standing in front of my beautiful Alice, both looking at me in surprise. Next thing I knew, Alice was at my side keeping me steady as Richards injected me with something blue. It was painful, but it seemed to work well.

I instantly felt better. Good enough to stand, and I did. I had to lean on Alice for support and Richards had to hold my arm to keep me upright, but I finally got control, and was able to walk and carry on conversation without any problems or assistance. After we discussed my medical condition, he decided I was not to leave the cell for the next day at least, just to be sure I wasn't going to collapse at some random moment. Alice was quick to agree so I didn't protest. After a bit more conversing, Richards left and immediately, Alice grinned at me with an excited look.

"What?" I asked as she rushed over to her nightstand. I watched as she opened up the drawer and she pulled something out, but quickly hid it behind her back. What ever it was, it was shiny. She walked back over to me with a mischievous grin plastered on her face.

"Pick a hand." She smiled. I pointed to her right arm.

"That one." I guessed.

"Surprise!" She shouted as she pulled a hand held mirror from behind her back with her right hand. I smiled and wrapped her in a tight hug.

"How did you manage that?" I asked, she just laughed.

"Richards brought it to me. I promised to behave so he snuck it past Riplure to me. He's really a kind man, he just works for a wicked one... Do you think you could contact Mamorial now?" I examined the mirror that was now in my hands. It could take a little while, it all depended wether the Queen was near a reflective surface or not. Wait, was that me? Holy black eye! When did that happen? Wait! This is not the time!

"I can try." I offered. I sat on the bed and tapped the mirror a few times. Each time it made a solid sound. Drat! I tried a little longer, until I hit in the upper right hand corner, and it made a hollow noise. I tapped the same spot in a rapid motion. As fast as possible until my finger was a blur. After a long time of tapping, the glass began to ripple like water. It was working! Slowly, we watched as the features of the White monarch took place of my own.

"Tarrant? Tarrant is that you?" She was finally clear enough for me to see that she looked weary and as if she hadn't gotten enough rest lately.

"Yes, your majesty." It took her a moment to get sight on her side, but when she did she gasped. Her hand went to her mouth, and I saw her white fingertips on the other side pressed gently against our portal.

"Tarrant! Tarrant dear you look awful! Where have you been? I've been worried sick for both of you! Have you found Alice?" I tilted the mirror so that Alice was in full view of the ruler.

"I'm fine." She laughed " But Hatter's been putting himself through quite a lot for me. He's just woken up from a three-day coma."

"What happened?" the queen gasped.

"Alice and I are being held hostage in an Upperland insane asylum. The commander's name is Dr. Malory Riplure. His methods to cure Alice have been a little extreme." I told her as I gestured to my black eye.

"I want you both out of here now. Shall I send some solders to retrieve you?"

"No!" Alice and I both shouted in unison.

" Well, you need to get here as soon as possible! How long will it take?"

"I suppose about another few days at least. Months at most." Alice sighed, I shrugged. A look of regret graced the queen's face. She shook her head slowly.

"If that's how long it will take, then there's not much I can do. It's up to you two. Come as soon as you can." We both nodded as the queen blurred and my injured reflection returned. Now all we could do was wait.

:) :( :):( :)

**Hey! Did any of you know that About 8.2% of the earth's crust is composed of aluminum? It's true! lol Ok... I don't have any tasks for you except to laugh at my friend Gee-dan who hates AiW all together and sais I should kill everyone in the story. She's a poo-head. OK! REViEW!**

**TARRANT H.**


	13. Trays and Telephones

**Alice**

"I still don't understand, how did you live?"

"Well, Pain is inevitable; suffering is optional. Besides, Alice needs someone to keep her save from fiends like you!" Tarrant responded. as soon as he was well enough, Riplure put him right back into the dark questioning room. Only this time, he wasn't strapped into a chair, he was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, doing an excellent job of dodging Riplure's blows. Every now-and-then, he would not be fast enough, and would end up on the floor, trying to escape from the crazed doctor.

"Duck!" I found myself yelling, and as I did, I also found Richard's hand on my shoulder and his lips next to my ear.

"Hush dear. You only add to the confusion." Tarrant Ran over to the side of the room and crouched, curling up into a defensive ball. Riplure kicked him hard in the side, then turned back to me. He wiped his brow as Tarrant uncurled himself cautiously, a painful look on his face from being kicked in the ribs.

"Take that thing away. I want to ask his little buttercup here a few questions." Riplure called to a thug as he grinned don at me. The man stepped forward, seized Tarrant and hauled him away as I struggled against the straps that held me in my chair.

"Good luck." I whispered to him as he was pushed past me. The door squeaked open and the two men left. As soon as the door slammed shut again, Riplure began.

"I can do this forever Alice. I can bring you both in, ask you the same questions, and send your friend there into a coma every day if I have to. I want that information. I want to believe that there is an "Underland" Because if there is, I can get proof and become the most famous man in England. If you don't cooperate, this will just drag on and on, becoming more and more painful for you and your boyfriend."

"Boyfriend?" I yelped, I had heard everything else, but that was what really got my attention. I shot a glance at Richards. Tarrant had told me he had a foot on each side of the line and his loyalties were uncertain. Had he told Riplure about how he found us sleeping together? God! that sounds worse than it actually was. Richards shrugged, signaling that he didn't know how Riplure had found out about "us" if there even was an "us" I wished there was.

"Oh Alice. Don't act like you don't have feelings for him." Is it really that obvious? "That's not the question though. I'll ask again. How do I get to Underland?"

*Tarrant*

I expected to be taken strait to Alice's cell, or maybe even my own, but instead, I was led down to the cafeteria. I looked at the man who held tightly onto my arm, but he avoided my gaze. The entire room turned and looked at me as I walked in, and then the room broke into applause. I was completely baffled, what was going on? The guards held up there hands to silence them and slowly the noise died down. My eyes shifted around the room and I found myself being shoved by the guards into a line. Several people pushed me past them and we were all given a disgusting slop-like mixture that I was told was "stuffing", a cup of herbal tea, and an apple. After I had my tray that was horribly unbalanced, I made my way over to the table that Alive and I had sat at before. The other's were there and they instantly began patting me on the back or congratulating me for something. John, and Michael did at least, Christopher remained silent.

"What's going on?" I asked when they stopped long enough for me to speak.

"Why, You survived Riplure rage!" John grinned

"Riplure what?"

"Rage. He shocked you and you lived! At five volts too! Why that's never even been done in the history of the entire asylum! You're a hero!" Michael laughed.

"I didn't do anything. Well, I protected Alice, but that's all. I've done it before."

"He's a special one." John told Christopher, who nodded furiously. They continued to explain that I did something really great, but I ignored them. My mind was on Alice. Alice, are you alright? Has he hurt you? Do you need me? Is there a way for me to get to you? Do you love me? No? Oh. Suddenly, I heard some voices talking loudly about Alice. It took me a moment to find that the source of the conversation was two guards, standing one table away. I hushed the table and listened in. I soon found my knuckles white as they gripped my tray.

"Have you heard about that girl Alice?"

"Oh yah, the one that's in charge of that Hatter? The one that wouldn't die?"

"That's the one. I hear she's a tough one. She's apparently resisting all treatment."

"Yah, and that Hatter's not helping either. She's gotten worse I've been told."

"I think they should just execute the girl and donate the Hatter to scientific studies." I couldn't stand it anymore. I stood up, eyes flaming, and tossed the disgusting sludge they called food at the men. Hitting them both. The stared at me and I felt everyones eyes too. I stalked out of the cafeteria just as an apple flue across the room, followed by many others. I headed back in the direction of Alice's cell. We have to get out of here, soon.

I had been sitting on Alice's bed for at least an hour waiting for her to return. After tossing my "Stuffing" at two of the head guards, apparently, a huge food-fight had broken out and I had taken them ten minutes to stop it. I had my head down and I was watching my shoes when the clink of the door lock woke me from my trance.

"Hatter! Gotten yourself into a heap of trouble I've been told." I chuckled as I gave her a hug. As we pulled away, I stared into her beautiful eyes as they glistened.

"I was so worried." I gasped, hugging her again and stroking her head in a fatherly way. "I thought he might have hurt you! I'm so glad you're alright. Wait, you are alright aren't you?"

"Of corse Hatter."

"Oh... Good." She laughed at my comment. Oh how I loved her laugh.

"Hightopp... Riplure wants to see you in his office... Now." I heard a voice say. It was another guard.

"Galumph!" I cursed, then quickly composed myself and apologized "I'm sorry Alice, for my language. Okay, I'm ready." I told the man. He led me away and down the hall. After several turns, we came to a door and two chairs on either side of a round table which held a lamp and an odd object. The man gestured to one of the seats and so I sat slowly. The man knelt in front of me and I watched him clamp a hard metal chain around my ankle and the leg of the chair.

"More chains. Lovely." I grumbled.

"Wait here, and don't try anything funny. Riplure will be out momentarily." He warned back as he turned and stalked away. As I waited, I inspected the odd device on the table it was black, with a cup-like device on the end of a wire, and there was a spout coming out of the machine itself that fanned out at the end. It was quite perplexing. As I was considering what it was for, I heard a loud scream.

"DO WHAT?" Riplure yelled from behind the door. I leaned in closer to eavesdrop.

"It was just a suggestion." I heard Richard's voice whimper back.

"What makes you think that putting that-that-thing into society would be a good idea?"

"I think it would be good stimulation. It would only be for the weekend."

"Who do you expect will take him in for even an hour?"

"I'll do it. Take him out onto the town and show him normality."

"Well, I don't think it will work."

"I am a doctor sir."

"Fine, if you really think it'll work. But I'm not going to cover any injury's you get. We don't know if he's even safe."

"Trust me sir, I'll be alright."

"Fine. Call him-" "RINGGGGGGGGG!" A loud sound rang out. I jumped nearly four feet. It continued to ring and I discovered the noise was coming from the device on the table. I poked it with my index finger, and it rang again. Suddenly, I got an idea. I picked up the cup-like part, and held it to my mouth.

"Stop please." I told it. I listened, no more ringing. I was about to say: "thank you" when I heard a small voice. I held the cup to my ear and listened.

"Hello. Hello! Is anybody there?" Could it be there is a tiny person inside the machine?

"Yes" I said, leaning closer to the spout, thinking that was probably the part you talked to.

"Hello. May I speak to my husband Reginald Howler?" I shrugged.

"I suppose so. Is he home?"

"N-No. He's there. Who is this?"

"Who is this?"

"I am Mrs. Howler."

"My name is Tarrant Hightopp." I told the woman " Are you in need of assistance?"

"Well, yes. I'd like to speak to my Husband."

"How big are you?"

"Excuse me?"

"You are excused."

"Is this some kind of Joke?"

"No. I know some jokes! I'm better at riddles though. Say, do You think you could answer me this? Why is a Raven-" But before I could finish. I felt someone grab my wrist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Riplure sneered.

"Ouch! I'm in the middle of something here!" I protested. He snatched the devise from my hand and began talking into the device the same way I had been.

"I beg your pardon maim. We'll call you back shortly. Thank you." He put the cup-like thing back in it's original spot. He spun around and glared at me. "What am I going to do with you?" He asked, shaking his head. After unlocking my chain, he shoved me into the room and onto a surprisingly soft chair, but once again, I was chained to my seat.

"What was that thing?" I asked

"A telephone." He answered, sitting down at a large desk. Richards was there too, sitting in the chair next to me. I looked around the surprisingly bright room. There were plants and curtains, and a rug, and paint on the walls. This must be Riplure's office.I thought, seeing a rabbit frozen in the corner, standing on a wooden platform.

"MR HIGHTOPP!" Riplure yelled, he must have been trying to get my attention.

"Hmm?" I hummed stupidly.

"I said, Richard here thinks it would be best if you went home with him for the next two days. He thinks you could learn from being around normal people. Would you like to do that?" Only one thought entered my mind.

"What about Alice?"

"She used to be normal. She knows what it's like. I'm not sure if you do too. If you were to accept, Alice would be left behind, but you might increase your chances of her and yourself being released sooner." I pondered this, it was a good offer, I wouldn't be able to see Alice for two days, but We might be able to spend the rest of our lives together, or continuously be separated on occasion. What would Alice tell me to do?

"I-I-I want to talk to her first."

"Fine. You have ten minutes. Call in Alice." He told a hole-filled spot on the wall after pulling on a thick string next to it. Soon, Alice was in the room too. Riplure explained the offer and we were allowed to discuss it.

"Do it Hatter! It's a great Idea! If you can learn how to act, you can pretend to be cured, and we can be let out." She whispered.

"I won't see you for two days though!" I argued.

"You've waited for me this long, you can do it again."

"If you say so." _I love you by the way. _

"Time's up!" Riplure called. "Do you have your decision?" I hesitated.

"I except." A grin spread across Richard's face. I could feel my heart crack.

:)

**OMG! I AM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY EVERYONE FOR KEEPING YOU WAITING AS LONG AS I DID. :( I have been sooooo busy lately with my birthday on the 21st of Feb. and I hav'nt been allowed to use my computer all vacation. I worked really hard to put the "Tray-Toss" scene and the "Telephone" scene for my friend **AkaNoTenshi1890 **(I wuv U Bookmark!). Once again I am so sorry and please don't come to Underland and break down my door. Flame me if you wish, (But I like suggestions and comments better *Wink Wink* *Nudge Nudge*) Luv,**

**TARRANT H.  
**


	14. Escapes and Schemes

*Tarrant*

"I really don't like these things. I'd much prefer walking." I told Richards as he shoved me gently toward an awaiting carriage. I let out a groan as I climbed inside, and once I sat down on the seat I instantly became claustrophobic. Thats what being imprisoned in Salas and Grum will do to you. Richards climbed in after me. I looked back out the door of the carriage where Riplure and Alice were seeing us off.

"Have fun Tarrant!" Alice called excitedly.

"Fairfarren." I called back, forcing a smile.

"Behave." Riplure growled, and then slammed the door shut. Instantly, I turned away and looked down at my feet. We started moving with a jolt. There was a long period of awkward silence. I felt Richards reach across and put his hand on my shoulder.

"What's wrong Tarrant? Your coming home with me for the weekend. I'm sure my wife will be quite surprised to meet you... Breath in that air. I love the smell of the outdoors." He took a deep breath through his nose, and let it out through his mouth. I tried to copy his enthusiasm, but the best I could do was sigh and look out the window.

"It smells more like horse manure to me." I mumbled. He watched me in disappointment.

"Thinking about Alice?" He asked. I nodded, but continued to look out the window.

"She's quite a girl isn't she?" I turned my head.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean she's one of a kind. Adventurous she is. I can see why you love her." I clenched my fists.

"I don't love Alice!" 

_Yes you do._ The voice in my head laughed.

"She's a friend!" 

_More than that._

"A really good friend!" 

_Warmer_

"She's like my sister!"

_Warmer_

"I'd do anything to protect her because I know she'd do the same for me!"

_Lies! She wouldn't even stay in Underland for you!_

"She left because she had things she needed to finish here!"

_No, She left because she didn't love you the same way you love her!_

"You try to deceive me into loosing my muchness!"

_If you don't love her, why did you come to get her?_

"She didn't come back so I had to come get her for the queen!"

_You came to save her because you do love her!_

"I DO NOT!"

"HATTER!" The world stopped spinning and the voice in my head was silenced. I Hated that voice, mostly because it was so right.

"F-fez. I-I-I'm Fine."

"I begin to doubt that increasingly each day." I turned my head to Richards and smiled softly, then, I turned back to the window and watched the dull landscape as it went by.

"Everything looks the same. All the trees, the buildings, the flowers, even the people. I don't like it. It's depressing." He was quiet, so I continued. "The world here is so dreary and different, it was probably this atmosphere that drained Alice's muchness. I hope it doesn't drain my own too." I looked through the corner of my eye to see a large grin on Richards face.

"Lord forbid." He chuckled, thats when everything fell into place, I leapt up as best as I could in the small carriage.

"Wait! You want me to loose my muchness! That's why you are taking me away from Alice! Your taking me away from her on purpose! You're taking me away from her and your never bringing me back! I should have known! DRIVER! STOP THE CARRIAGE!" Luckily, the driver was used to taking orders, and the horses were stopped. I burst through the door and leapt out onto the cobblestone road. I began to run, but before I could take one step, I felt a burst of that stupid electricity. I fell to my knees and looked at Richards. He was looking angrily at me with the blue probe in his hand. He kneeled down to my side and pulled up my shirt sleeve to buckle something cold and metallic onto my wrist.

"There. That should keep you from running off. Sorry about that friend, but I have strict orders to return to the institute with you. Dead or alive. Now I don't like hurting you, but if that's what I have to do to keep you in line, I will." I tried to attack him, with eyes that clearly displayed my rage, but I was in to much pain. I hurt less when Riplure did it first. Richards helped me up and sat me down on the seat across from his own again. "Continue Henry. No more stops until we get to my house... Yes Tarrant, I am taking you to my house and we aren't coming back to Alice for a while, but you are going back next week. I promise." He chained my arm tightly to the safety handle to insure that I couldn't move anywhere near him, or away from him. I was completely immobilized.

"But you are trying to drain my muchness." I growled, gaining my strength back as I fought against my chains. He was quiet for a few long moments as he watched my fruitless struggles.

"I have orders to get you accustomed to normality. Riplure and I figure, the more you're exposed to London, the more you'll become part of London. Eventually, if all goes according to plan, you'll become one of us.

"Monster!" I snarled. "No good, double crossing shuckum!"

"I know." He agreed, the way you would to a defiant child.

"When I get back ta' Underlan' yu'll be the most wanted man in both worlds put ta'gether! I'll have the knights 'unt ya' down fer this!"

"Of corse." he said calmly, obviously amused at my fit.

"Why, When the knights get you an' Riplure! They'll bring ya' strait ta' me. An' I'll make shure ya' get a lesson ye' won't soon ferget!"

"Really? How exciting!" He grinned "You're quite amusing you know that. You are my absolute favorite patient we have at the asylum. You have so much... Defiance."

"You're a conning gallymonger you know that! And that's not even the end of it! Your-"

"Oh look!" he exclaimed tryingly. "We're here!" I froze in the middle of my ramblings to look out the now open door. I saw a large house surrounded by a field of perfectly tended grass, and pink flowered trees that were in full bloom. The sight looked so familiar. As if I'd seen it before, only from a different point of view.

I shook my head to get the odd thought out of my head. I looked to the left and saw a green, ivy covered gazebo, then it turned to the right and saw a building in the distance. Immediately, I recognized it. It was the Ascott manor! I was so close to the rabbit hole and wonderland, and reinforcements, the knights, the bandersnach, the White Queen. All I needed to do was go back, get help, and save Alice!

I formed a plan in my head that left me exhausted. I was easily guided out of the carriage by Richards, and I stumbled a little on the way to the door, but once we were inside, I felt a bit better and could stand on my own. Hew turned and locked the door with a set of keys. He knew I would try to escape, too bad his valiant efforts would be waisted. I didn't notice the servants as they came and offered to take my coat and hat. The butler got tired of holding out his hand as I moved away from him, inspecting the pictures on the walls, and grabbed my hat right off my head.

"Oh!" Richards shouted in a panic. "You might not want to-" Too late. I let out an angry cry and grabbed it back, tackling the frightened man to the ground in the process. I stood and gently stroked my hat, holding it as far away from the butler as possible, while holding it as close to myself as possible. I glared at the two as Richards offered his servant a hand back up. "Sorry about that Timothy. I should have warned you, he's very...Attached to his hat."

"Wayne?" Wayne is that you? Your home late." A woman's voice called.

"Yes darling! There was a little problem on the way." An older lady came around the corner and stopped dead in her tracks. She stared at me with shocked brown eyes. She was pretty for the most part, but she had wrinkles of age forming on her face. She was slightly plump, and had an upperclass air. Her brown hair, that was quickly graying, was worn up in a tight bun.

"Wayne... Wh-Who is this?" she asked. I watched the exchange with curiosity as Richards (Who's first name was apparently Wayne) Explained the situation to this woman (Who I supposed was his wife).

"- And so, we decided I should have him return home with me for the week. Ann, This is Tarrant Hightopp. Tarrant, This is my wife Mrs. Ann Richards." I bowed, my spirits brightened at the thought of escape that was still buzzing in my brain.

"Lovely to meet you madam." I lifted my head and saw her smiling.

"Are you sure this one's mad Darling?" She asked Richards with a chuckle.

"Oh I'm mad." I laughed "Mad as a box of frogs!" Richards nodded and the three of us laughed in the hallway. We all shared dinner of vegetable soup in the dining room, and then I was invited for friendly conversation in the drawing room (which confused me quite a bit because there wasn't actually anything to draw on or with in the room, just a lot books that already were filled with words. Richards explained that it was just a name, not a function. This just confused me farther.)

Later that night, I was sent to the spare room, and once Richards was done with some "Business" he came up to find me sitting cross-legged on the floor with my eyes closed, my hat resting by my side.

"What are you doing?" He asked. I looked up and smiled.

"Just thinking. Come, sit." He shrugged and sat next to me. I closed my eyes again

"No hard feelings?" He asked after a few long moments. I looked back at him.

"What do you mean? I'm sure feelings don't have texture. Or do they?"

"No they don't. I'm sorry I had to shock you. I couldn't let you get away though. I am sorry. Honest."

"I understand."

"So you forgive me?" He asked hopefully. I looked back down at the intricate carpet.

"I never said that." There was a long term of quiet.

"Well,... I'll leave you to it. Good night Tarrant. Behave now. I'm locking the windows just in case. Is that okay?"

"No."

"Oh... Well, to bad. I am sorry for all this, really I am. Stay in your room. If you need anything, just ring that bell pull."

"Can I "ring that bell pull" to ask for a way out?" I asked seriously. He laughed until he realized I hadn't been joking, then he died out and coughed.

"No." He sighed. "Good night." He called, closing the door. I could hear the click of the lock as he shut the door tightly and locked it tight. No way out.

"All I have to do is last one night. Then, I can leave tomorrow. When nobody's paying too much attention, or if I'm being watched by a servant, I'll knock them out and run to the rabbit hole. I'll jump in, and go home. I'll get help, and rescue Alice. Nothing can stop me."

_But what about if they maximize security when you escape? If you escape that is._

"Well I'll have something they won't have. I'll have Friends, and armored knights, and maybe a Bandersnach if I play my cards right. We'll beat Riplure. I know it."

_If you think so. But if you get killed so will I, so don't screw this up! You have a talent for getting in near-death situations. One of day's your not gonna make your last minute escape and we're gonna die a painful death._

"Shut up. Your the voice in my head. If I think something will work, you should too."

_If you want to believe such an impossible thing._

"Sometimes, I believe in as many as six impossible things before breakfast."

**Alice**

I watched as the carriage rode off into the distance. I'll admit It broke my heart to see Hatter go, but If he could learn how to act like a normal human just long enough to convince Riplure, we could be set free and we could return to Underland together.

"Well, then. We best get started then." Riplure laughed wickedly. I grew nervous.

"What do you mean?" I asked I turned to see him grinning as if he had just executed the perfect battle strategy, and only himself knew about it's components.

"We better get started." He repeated. He grabbed my wrist and dragged me back into the asylum. He stormed down the hallways, and tossed me into a dark room. After he turned the lights on, he sat me down in a comfortable chair. Or at least it was more comfortable than the chairs I'd gotten used to sitting in.

"Observe Alice dear," He gestured to a glass map of the whole town. "This is where we are," he smirked, pointing with a probe to a small building on the map. "and that little red dot there, is your boyfriend." He pointed to a small red dot that was made from light behind the map. "I am using sonar-like technology to track his every move. There is a tracking device inside a metal bracelet that Dr. Richards has in his possession. He said he'll put it on Tarrant while they're in the carriage. We figure, if he tries to run, the tracking device will lead us right to your little safe haven you both call Underland. Feel free to watch the map all you like. I'm not interested in it quite yet. If anything, he'll try to escape at night or sometime tomorrow. Not right away." The thought struck me hard. Hatter wasn't going to be brought into society, he was being used by Riplure to find Underland! There was only one thing that didn't make sense.

"But what kind of escape could one make in a weekend. It's highly impractical."

"Well, you see Alice. Hatter's going to be gone for much longer than two days. If he decides not to run away, he'll be gone for at least a week, unless Richards thinks the program's curing his madness. Then it could be months."

"No!" I screamed "You can't keep Hatter away from me for that long! He'll loose his muchness! He'll loose his drive to do anything! He'll stop eating!" I don't know how I knew these things, but something inside me knew they would happen.

"Then so be it. Perhaps his death would help with your behavior. Think about that why don't you." He laughed and slammed the heavy iron door behind him as he exited.

"Oh Hatter they've tricked us! No matter what happens we loose. If you escape, they find Underland. If you don't they keep us apart forever." A voice in my head laughed.

_Well then, I suppose you're face with an impossible decision._

"Nothing is impossible."

_This time, it is impossible._

"Only if you believe it is."

**0.0**  
** O**

**WELL? Sorry it's been taking so long for me to update. (takes off hat and hangs head in shame*) I really apologize because I have no use other than laziness and a small case of writers block trying to break down my door. But lucky, I got a new security system so if that scoundrel breaks In the police will catch him (smiles and replaces hat*) **

**anyways, I want to put this advertisement out there that I am also working on a songfic for you AiW fans out there that like "hatter after Alice leaves" fictions. It's Breakeven by The Script. But back to my advertisement, I am offering to make any AiW songfic for someone if they just send me a song sugesstion in a review, I would be honord to see what I can do with it. I am not going to do any explicit songs that talk about.. well I'm just not gonna go there. (You should know what's inappropriate for a 15 year old audience, use those songs). **

**Did any of you know that milliner is Latin for "A thousand times" ? and that "nocens novus ex centerus universitas" means "bad newas from the other world? Cool huh?  
**

**ThAnK yOu FoR rEaDiNg!1!1**

**Happy Glauphic (Gla-uh-fic*) day by the way! (and yes i made that up!)  
**

**TARRANT HiTOPP  
**


	15. Dreaming and imprisomnment

**I Am SO SO SO SO SO sorry for not updating!** **I didn'y have my laptop all summer and I couldn't update. That's the same way with Luna Lacrimosa**. **Once again I am so sorry! I promise I'll get better! **

*Alice*

I sat in the chair for hours watching the little red dot slowly move to a building on the map until it reached it. At that point, it stopped and there was no movement from it whatsoever. I looked around the rest of the map, but my eyes always returned to my Hatter. Why were they doing this to us? Why did they want to tear us apart and find Underland? For god's sake, they didn't even believe in the place! I slowly found myself drifting off to sleep.  
I was standing at a doorstep, when I opened my eyes. I knocked on the door but nobody answered. I knocked harder, but when I did, A head appeared in one of the windows with a light on in the room. It was the third window from the right, and it was on the second story. The figure had a top hat on and when I saw him my heart leapt.

"Alice!" He shouted with excitement. "What are you doing here? Quickly! I'll help you up!" He smiled down at me, and then disappeared. I ran across the lawn until I was directly below the window. He appeared again in a few moments. Then, he tossed something out to me. It was a rope. He kindly hoisted me up, and I had no need to even climb, for he told me to simply hook my foot through the loop he'd made on the bottom, and hang on tightly. Once I was inside, He fell back on the bed laughing. At loss of what to do, I copied.

"Your strong." I smiled.

"Well, I try..."He grinned back. "This is some dream isn't it?"

"What?" I frowned at him, sitting up in bed. "This is a dream?" I asked sadness sinking in. That explained how I'd gotten there, and why nobody had answered when I'd knocked, and why I was wearing my favorite blue dress.

"Of corse." He shrugged, then his voice turned to mocking "This has all come from our own minds." I laughed and smiled at him.

"Is this your dream or mine?" I asked discouraged, knowing that if it was his, something was wrong because there wasn't a hat or tea cup in sight.

"I believe it is a conjoined dream. We are both dreaming the same thing. Perhaps it's supposed to tell us each something."

"Do you suppose?"

"I just did." He laughed, we both fell back onto the bed again, and then, once we were both done laughing, he stood and walked over to the door. He began to play with the handle a bit, then he tried to tug it as hard as possible. "Shuckem.." He growled, giving up.

"What was that all about?" I asked him as he came back and sat down again.

"I was just hoping that if this was our dream, the door would be unlocked, but it's not."

"They locked you in here?" I asked sympathetically. Why was it that my poor hatter had to be imprisoned all the time?

"Well, there not going to just let me walk away. But that's not going to stop me! I'm going to get out of here and go back to Underland and then-"

"No!"I interrupted him "You can't go back to Underland! That's what they want you to do. They want you to lead them to Underland so they can find it! We can't let them! We can't. You have to resist all treatments. Don't even act like it's helping. Remember it's making you worse okay? Trust me."

"Alice, I'm going to sneak away, I'm not going to lead them there!" He laughed as if I was being foolish, but his face wore an expression of concern.

"That's just it though!" I protested "That silver thing on your wrist is a tracking devise. It shows exactly where you are at all times. You have to get that off first. Get that off, then you can try to escape, but not a moment before. Promise me that okay?" He inspected the silver colored tracker and shook his head with disappointment. He didn't say anything for a long time, then when he did, all that came out of him lips was a simple:

"Oh..." I scooted closer to him and rested my hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay. We're gonna get out of here, and when we do, I'll return to Underland with you and we'll live happily ever after! I can join your tea party and we can celebrate the victory of frabtious day every noon. And we can maybe plant a tree, and hang a swing form it or something and then, we'll have berry bushes all around and we can build a little fort or something and we'll call the place Wonderland. We can have picnics every day if we want to. We can do anything we want. Nobody will question our sanity, and if they do, we'll tell them the truth. We won't have to hide anything from anyone, and we can just be ourselves. I have been dreaming of that little place ever since you arrived at Brodland. What do you think?" I asked hopefully. He leaned in to me and looked into my brown eyes with his large, hope-filled, green ones.

"You think we could? I like that plan. It sounds so beautiful. Especially the part about you and I being ourselves. That's the best part. Do you think we could also have a little stream running through it? Do you think we could even have a cupcake war sometime?" He asked, entwining his fingers in mine. I smiled as that warm fuzzy feeling raced through my stomach.

"I think the stream would be a great idea! And even though I don't know what a cupcake war is, I think it sounds so very fun! It's a deal!"

"I think a Rainbow Willow would be best to plant. They grow fast, They are quiet, gentle and kind, and they are so very pretty when they are in bloom." He was growing excited and was beginning to make plans. We discussed the little Wonderland for what seemed like hours. Once we had almost everything figured out except for where to have it, The world started to melt away. I grew scared, and suddenly, hatter clutched me tightly.

"What's happening?" I yelped frightened.

"One of us is waking up." He explained frantically. "We have to both wake up at the same time or something bad might happen!" I thought for a brief second.

"Pinch ourselves on the count of three." I commanded. He nodded and we began to count. "One!" I began he smiled a little grin of farewell.

"Two!" He copied.

"THREE!" We both shouted at once. At that moment, I felt a sharp pinch on my arm and everything faded away.

*Tarrant*

I opened my eyes and saw the daylight filtering in through the drawn curtains. I opened them with an angered flourish and let the light shine into the room. My bed was a mess from tossing and turning all night, I looked down at the metal tracking devise and tried to rip it off. It hurt my arm as I tried to force it over my hand, but it was tightly fitted on my wrist, and it was too small to slide off.

After what seemed like half an hour trying to force it off, I let out an angry scream of rage and began to trash the room. I ripped apart the bedsheets and I smashed the desk, breaking it in half. I grabbed a set of scissors and began to tear off the rosy wallpaper from the walls, tearing it into shreds. I kicked the carpet blindly to the side and began to smash the cabinets and dressers and bookshelves in the room. I ripped the curtains down and then tore them in half. I grabbed a chair and threw it at the window, missed and it smashed into the wall instead.

I continued to ruin everything I could get my hands on until I found myself being held down by three people at once. I could hear Richards's frightened yell as he tried to calm me down and explain to the others that this didn't usually happen. I let out an angry scream and lashed out as best as I could, then I let loose another screech that sounded inhuman to my own ears. Mrs. Richards whimpered with fright and cupped her ears to mute the sound. I now had only two people holding me down, and in my rage I easily escaped. I grabbed a leg from the now broken desk and wielded it like a sword.

"Come get mea' ye filthy scuttish pilgar-lickering, shuckum jegguling, Slurkuring ur pals, egg Brigmi Frunking Gallymongers!" I began to attack screaming in rage. It took a bit of work to knock Richard's down, but his butler was easy. I swung around and tossed the table leg at Mrs. Richards. I stormed over to her and grabbed the piece of wood again. I was going to make them all pay for taking me away from my Alice. I laughed, grinned evilly, and raised the sharp, jagged stick above my head. A frightening noise rang through my head.

"Please no! Help! Somebody help me! Please Mr. Hightopp don't!" I blinked once. Then again. Suddenly I realized what I had done. I dropped the stick and fell to my knees. My head went limp and my hat fell to the ground.

"What have I done?" I whispered. "Why? Why am I like this? Why do I do this when I'm without Alice?" I felt a hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Mrs. Richards' wrinkled face clouded over with a look of sympathy. I hung my head again to avoid her eyes. I couldn't bring myself to look at her.

"Mr. Hightopp?… Tarrant?… Hatter?" She took my face in her hands and made me look at her. I yanked my face away. Only Alice could hold me like that. Only Alice.

"I'm- I'm-... I'm so sorry… I didn't- I- I didn't mean to. Honest I didn't. I am just so- so so sorry. I can't- I can't control myself without Alice. I just-… I'm so sorry." I felt a firm hand on my shoulder and I looked up to see Richard's glaring down at me.

"Come on." he whispered "You can't stay here any longer." I stood and was escorted downstairs, then through the kitchen, and to another set of stairs that led down into darkness. He lit a candle and led me down the narrow staircase. Once we reached the bottom, there was a door. He opened it and harshly told me to step inside. I did as I was told.

"Where am I?" I asked, it was cold and smelled musty inside the room. His answerer was full of spite.

"This is the cellar. I am going to contact Dr. Riplure. You will stay here until we decide what to do with you. I won't have you hurting anyone else from now on. Your a menace. An evil, dangerous, threat to everyone around you." I turned to see him with eyes full of anger and hate. " Your going to be punished for your behavior. I can promise you that. Trust me, no matter what happens to you it won't be pleasant. I'll make sure of it. You acted like an animal back there, and so you shall be treated like an animal!" He spat, and slammed the door. I dove for it, as the darkness closed in around me.

"NO! I pleaded as I slammed my fists on the door. "Let me out!" I screamed. I shivered as I was engulfed by the cold and blackness. I felt as if I was being eaten, as if the whole world was closing in. I screamed with fright. I was no longer Tarrant Hightopp. I wasn't even Hatter. I was nothing without Alice. "Please!" I howled louder than ever, but I knew no one was going to help me. I knew my Alice wasn't coming to my rescue like she always did. "Please." I whispered helplessly as I sunk to the hard concrete floor. Little did I know, that Richard's still stood on the other side of the door, listening to my desperate pleas with a tiny smile playing on his lips.

**Tarrant: Y are you so mean? *crying* **

**Alice: Awwwww! It's OK Hatter, I'm here for you. **

**Tarrant: Please tell me you have a happy ending for this story! **

**Me: Maybe. Maybe not. *BWAHAHAHAHAH!* **

**Alice: You are a wicked monster you know that? **

**Me: Really? You just noticed?  
**

**Awwwwww :'( so sad! Now Richards is evil too and Hatter is stuck in his cold, damp, yucky basement! Will Hatter and Alice ever be able to love eachother in peace? Grrrrrr! **

**Anyways, Thanks for not hunting me down and Killing me, even though I deserve it! :D I love you all that still will trust me as a writer! I know I'm not that good but I enjoy it and this is by far my most popular story. **

**I have had the song "This is Halloween" from Nightmare before christmas stuck in my head for at least three days now! (It probability doesn't help that I keep listening to it though . I JUST CAN'T HELP IT!) Ha Ha Ha! I especially like the darker version! *Giggles!* **

**Luv u all!- **

**TARRANT HiTOPP  
**


	16. Eavsdropping and Pain of the Mind

Alice:

I lay on my bed in my cell, not in the room with the map. I couldn't stand being in there any longer. Yet, no matter where I was, I was alone. It was an odd feeling, having Hatter gone for this many days. Four whole days apart, why was it such torture? I hadn't had another double dream with Hatter since our first. Something was blocking me from getting to him and it worried me. I suddenly stood and walked over to the door to ring the little bell for assistance. A man appeared at the door and asked what I needed.

"I need to talk to Dr. Riplure please." I asked, batting my eyelashes for extra points. He grinned at me and nodded.

"Of course Miss." He replied. "Just as soon as he gets off the telephone. He has been talking with Mr. Richards for quite some time now." My eyes lit up.

"Mr. Richards? Could you take me to to Dr. Riplure now and I'll wait for him to finish his conversation while there?" I pleaded, doing my best impression of an innocent girl who had not a single intention of escape. The man thought for a moment and shrugged.

"Well, I don't see why not! Come along." He grinned at me dumbly and opened the door. he escorted me to Riplure's office."Now, can I trust you to stay right here by yourself?" He asked, turning serious. I nodded innocently. "Alright then. I'll be right down the hall if you need me." With that, he strutted away. _What an idiot! how stupid can you get!_ My mind chortled. I hushed it and tried to eavesdrop on Riplure's conversation from through the door.

"Yes, Yes, I understand... My answer is still no. I want him there a little longer." _He must be talking about Tarrant!_ "Well I don't care!...Yes, I know she's your wife, and no, I still don't care!... Well does she know where you hid him?" _Hid him! Hatter is being hidden?_ " Well than what is the problem?... Just tell them to stay out of there... You are the master of the house they should do as you command... What do you mean noises? What kind of noises?... When was the last time you fed him?... Well if that's not he problem than what is?..." _What was happening to my precious Hatter?_ "What would happen if you told them he was there?... Then forbid her to! Like I said, you are the master of your house. You decide what your wife does and doesn't do and if you forbid her to free him then she needs to obey!... Then forbid her to pity him!..." _I have half a mind to barge right in there and demand to know what is going on._ "Really?... Well that's good isn't it? After all, doesn't it mean we've finally broken him?... No! No! No! Don't! just- just leave him down there! Do not let him out for any reason understood?... Is his current location helping him or making him worse?... What do you think it is? After all, it can't be that much different down there from one of our questioning rooms here... I see... Well in that case, I want you to make sure no light gets to him understand? The darkness will help with the process. Also-... Yes. go down there as soon as we hang up then report back to me the second you get back. I want to know if the reaction to the solitude is good or bad... Go down now alright?... Okay. Goodbye." Then there was silence. I stood there for a moment before I knocked gently on the door. "Come in!" Riplure's voice called from inside. I opened the door slowly and stiffly, a bit shaken up form the overheard conversation. When he saw me he grew angry, glaring daggers through me. "How much did you hear?" He hissed.

"Enough." I mumbled sheepishly. "What is going on?" I sat down in a chair in front of his desk.

"I'd tell you but I'm not entirely sure myself." He grumbled, rubbing his temples. "According to Dr. Richards, Tarrant had some kind of tantrum and nearly killed his wife the other day. Riplure locked him up in his wine cellar. Richards wants to bring him back here but it's been working much better than I expected. I might go down there later today and see him for myself. Richards said he was making strange noises? Do you have any thoughts?"

"Why? Why are you doing this to us?" I asked, trying to keep my head from spinning. He chuckled.

"It's fun." He grinned evilly. We were silent for a moment and the phone rang again. He lunged for it and immediately pressed it to his ear. "Hello?... Well? What happened?..." A dirty grin split his face after listening a short while. "Really! His eyes were gray? How did that happen? I thought they were green... Interesting... You understands what this means don't you? We've broken him! This is wonderful! What did he say when you got his attention?..." Riplure shot a surprised look in my direction. Richards was saying something about me. "Well I suppose that makes sense... Yes... Yes... Of corse I'll be right over... Yes?... Yes I'll bring her... No they're not to have contact... Okay... Well then we'll have her clean it up... It'll keep her busy..." The evil grin returned. " Oh this will be interesting. You said you can hear the noises all throughout the house?... Lovely. See you then." He hung up the phone. "You're in for a big surprise."

Tarrant

I walked as quickly as possible through the Tulgy Wood, feeling the warm sun on my face each time I passed through a clearing. I could smell the sweet aroma of Tea and cakes wafting from the tea party just ahead. I grinned as I entered the area with the Windmill still in it's prime. Thackery was there, seated at his usual spot, passed out on tea and cakes. Mally was napping in her teapot. And in the two seats at next to the head of the table, were older Alice to the left and little Alice to the right. I sat Between them and they gawked at me.

"Tarrant! How have you been?" Older Alice grinned, She jumped forward and Hugged me.

"Oh Fine." I answered. "You?" She nodded

"Wonderful!"

"That is favorable to dis-wonderful." I Laughed. "And what of you little one?" I asked Little Alice. She smiled at me.

"Great!" She giggled "I ate a odd piece of fruit by today. I thought it was candy but it wasn't. It was some kind of blue tomato. It tasted funny. I ate it, but I don't want to again. I like cake better." She continued to tell me about her day. I listened to every word intently and committed it all to memory. Alice was important, whither she was older or younger. When she finished my eyes widened.

"Well. It sounds to me that you had an eventful day am I correct?" She nodded vigorously. "Good. Keeping busy cures boredom as my parents always said. How about you miss?" I asked, addressing Older Alice. "What happened in your life today? Little one, do you mind passing the sugar?" Little Alice passed the sugar bowl and watched me put two sugars in. Older Alice blushed.

"Nothing too important. Say, I was thinking, Mirana invited us to the Lantern Festival at the castle tonight. Are you going?" I shrugged.

"If you think I should. I got us each a lantern to launch... Have I made a rhyme?" Little Alice shook her head.

"Rhymes end the same way. Not begin." I looked at her surprised.

"Why should it matter whither it starts or ends the same? What If I said Fildrum rhymes with Fumtrum? They both begin with F and end in rum. I see no similarities between those two words other than how they are written and how they are pronounced. If you ask me, rhymes should-"

"Hatter?" Little Alice called.

"I'm- I'm fine...Thank you little-"

"Who are you?" Older Alice asked, interrupting me.

"What?" Neither said anything. They just stared at me. "What? What to you mean by who-?"

"WHO ARE YOU? YOU ARE NOT HATTER! WHO ARE YOU?" Little Alice shouted at me. I was surprised by how angry she sounded. I froze. They both stood and Older Alice grabbed my throat Little Alice watched with a Cheshire grin. "We said, WHO ARE YOU?" She screamed again. Older Alice let me down and Little Alice grabbed at my sash of thread spools. I was frightened, so I shoved them back and ran off. Their angry shouts echoed behind me. I ran strait through a clearing and into the forest on the other side. I ran for another moment, but then forced myself to stop. I stood there alone and confused in the forest of no name.

"Wait now... Why in Underland am I running? And what from? And who- who am I? I am certain I have a name. I must. After all, everyone has a name. Perhaps I should go back. After all I am a- a-... What am I again? Even my last name is lost! I shall return and see if I can find it! Yes that is a fine idea." I pondered to myself. I turned around and my name returned to me. "Of course! I am Tarrant Hightopp. Royal Hatter." I took out my watch and saw that it was almost brillig. "Oh! And I'm late for a tea party!" I hurried back to the clearing where I could smell the sweet aroma of Tea and cakes wafting from the tea party table just ahead. I grinned as I entered the area with the Windmill which was surprisingly, still in it's prime. Thackery was there, seated at his usual spot, passed out on tea and cakes. Mally was napping in her teapot. And in the two seats at next to the head of the table, were older Alice to the left and little Alice to the right. I sat Between them and they smiled at me.

"Tarrant! How have you been?" Older Alice grinned. And the cycle continued.

I wasn't conscious of the fact that I wasn't in really Underland. I couldn't see that neither Alice was real and that even if they were there, I was so swallowed in darkness that I wouldn't have been able to see them. I sat numbly in Richards's cellar next to the door. My food from this morning still sitting there next to me, untouched. I had my knees folded up against my chest and my arms kept them tight against me. Every once in a short while, My body would be raked with a terrible spasm and an animistic, inhuman, horrifying screech would break through and fill the room and the house above it. Yet, I was unaware. I sat there calmly with gray eyes and a blank expression on my face that matched them.

I never saw the door open and never heard Richards call my name. Nor did I feel him kick me or shake me by my shoulders. I didn't hear him shouting in my ear or snapping his fingers next to them. Only when he stood and took the cup of water from my meal and splashed it on my face did I blink and focus my eyes so that I could see. I looked at him sluggishly as if I was drugged.

"Wake up. Come on you damn madman..." He nudged my shoulder impatiently. "I said focus you worthless mutt!" I moaned as I released my arms and allowed my legs to stretch forward. It hurt. "Good. Now pay attention. Riplure might be coming soon and I want you to know that he is likely to duel out something dreadful for your punishment. So you might want to stop just sitting here and think of some last things you'd like to say or do before you get killed." I coughed and he rolled his eyes.

"I-Ishe brining Alish?" I slurred, gaging on the dryness of my throat.

"Speak English you piece of trash!" He spat.

"Alice?" I managed to gasp after a bit of struggle. He laughed at my weakness.

"Maybe. I'm not sure. Gee, want to beg while your at it? You make a good helpless prisoner. I've been thinking, you'll defiantly need medical attention after this, and I won't be giving it. I wonder if you'll survive. Anyway, goodbye for now." He turned and left the room, slamming the door behind him. He listened for some kind of sobbing or frightened whimpering. But it never came. He opened the door a crack to see me curled up again, condensed into the smallest space possible. The same as before he had entered. He turned and marched off, halfway up the stairs he heard the most unearthly howl. Richards stopped and smiled. "He's getting worse." He laughed.

**ME: wow. Even I frightened**** myself with that one.  
**

**Alice: HOW DARE YOU! I SWEAR I AM GOING TO KILL YOU UNTIL YOU DIE!1!**

**ME: But if you kill me now, you won't ever see what happens in the end.**

**Alice: YOU BETTER MAKE THIS A HAPPY ENDING OR ELSE!**

**ME: We'll see now won't we? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!*Cough Cough Gag*... :)  
**


	17. Arrivals and Echoes

The carrige ride from the institute to Dr. Richards home was not a long one. But to me, it felt like years. I couldn't stop myself from thinking of the unimaginable. _What if Hatter was fataly hurt? What if he had finally gone compleatly mad? what if they were going to kill him? what if I never saw him again? What if I was too late to save him?_ I even found myself chewing at my nails, which was an old habit I had kicked many years before.

Riplure watched me like a hawk the entire ride, but I barely noticed, I was too busy watching the land roll by. It had seemed like forever sence I'd seen past institute's walls, so it was a blessing to see so much green, but not even the gorgous blue sky could calm my sparatic nerves.

When we finally arrived at the house, I realized that we were less than a mile from Hamish's estate, but that wasn't what made my heart leap, it was that we were less than a mile from his gardens, which housed the large knotted tree of which the rabbit hole sat under. It would be easy to get there, if we could break away.

Riplure grabbed my arm and escorted me to the front steps and knocked on the door three times. It was oddly quiet for a few long moments, then vary slowly, the door opened and a woman's face appeared in the opening between the door and the frame.

"Dr. Riplure." She sighed in relif, and swung the door open all the way. It waas then that I got a good look at the woman. She was a bit rotund, but she looked strong, even though I doubted she really was. The very first thing I noticed was how dishelved she looked. Her hair had once been tied back, but now small pieces had fallen from the bun and were dangling at strange angles around her head. Her hair was also frizzed up and just messy looking. He wardrobe wasn't much better, and she even had an apron on that was inside out. Another thing I noticed was how nervous she looked as if she a gun was being pointed right at her.

"Mrs. Richard's you look lovely as ever, though your hair could use some work." Riplure pointed out, chuckling slightly.

"Oh! Beg your pardon sir. Just doing a bit of baking." she said, only taking time to tuck one strand of hair behind her ear.

"Yes i'm sure- Tell me, where is your husband?"

"Oh... He went out for a walk sir. Just to clear his head from the noises. He should be back soon thou-... Is this... Alice?" She asked, her brown eyes lighting on me for the first time.

"Yes. Wayne has told you about her?" Riplure guessed, lightly shoving me into the house, and setpping in himself even without invitation.

"Not much, but after all I've seen today and yesterday, I think I know plenty. Come, I'll escort you to the parlor."

"Actually, I was hoping to see the spair bedroom that my patient ravaged this morning." Riplure said casually, not moving even when the lady had been ushuring them to go down the hall.

"Oh. Well, alright then." She sighed, somehow looking even more nervous as she led us to a staircase that led to the upstairs. "I hope Wayne warned you about the noises. They can be quite terrifying, and they've gotten louder and more frequent from when he started. I'm worried that he might be quite sick."

"Well I suppose we'll just have to see about that." Riplure grinned as he kept a hand on the small of my back and led me up the stairs. Finally we reached a white, innocent looking door and we stopped. Mrs. Richards took a key from her pocket and unlocked the door, then she stepped back as if she was afraid if she opened it, a beast would come rampaging out.

"Go on in." She gulped, letting Riplure open the door himself. He reached out and calmly opened the door. But as soon as it was open, he gasped and I nearly burst into tears.

The entire place was destroyed, from the curtains to the matress, and the rugs to the wallpaper, everything had been ripped to shreads or smashed to pieces. The whole room looked as if a hurricane had came through, and then left. The window, which had been smashed, let in a bit of the calm mid-day breeze, causing the curtains to flutter misarably from where they hung in shreads. The matress lay half on and half on the bed, and it had been sliced open and torn apart.

"Oh my poor hatter." I murmured, steping into the room, and seeing a few drops of blood staining the wood floor.

"It was like nothing I'd ever seen." Mrs. Richards recalled, still not entering the room. "It was as if the devil himself had begun burning apart the poor sole from the inside out. His tourtured screams will haunt my nightmares for many a month I'm sure."

"My, I suppose I under estimated him." Riplure thought outloud to no one in piticular.

"He was like a rabid animal. and that look in his eyes, was like he wanted nothing but to see blood spilt. I was terrified. " Mrs. Richards sighed, placing a hand on her heart and leaning against the door frame.

"We all were." a voice said from behind us. We all turned to see Dr. Richards standing forlornly in the hallway. "Alice. Doctor. " he said, nodding his head in acknolagement.

"Richards. Finally. I was hoping youy could tell me what brought this on."

"A nightmare I assume. "He sighed, stepping into the room.

"No it wasn't!" I found myself shouting.

"What?" Riplure asked, stepping toward me.

"I- I ummm... I don't think this was a uhhh.. a nightmare... I don't." I tried to defend myself.

"And why not?" Richards asked, leaning toward me just a slight.

"Well, I uhhh-..." Just then, a horrid screatching filled the whole house from the basement to the attic. The sound was like nothing I had ever heard, and it chilled me to the bone and it clawed at my very sole. Mrs. Richards cupped her ears to block it out, Dr. Richards grinned wolfishly, Riplure stared at him in amazement, and I just stood there stunned. eventually, it stopped, and we were surrounded by scilence once again.

"Was that-?" Riplure asked in amazement. Richards's grin widened and he nodded his head slowly.

"Indeed. He's in the cellar." the man chuckled softly. I gaped at the man I had been led to think was my ally, now I realized it was all a trick, a good-cop bad-cop sort of system.

"You horrible MONSTERS!" I screamed, my whole body aching to lunge at them and use my nails to claw out their eyes.

"I want to see him. Right now" Riplure demanded eagerly, compleatly ignoring me.

"Of corse sir." Richards complied, leading his boss to the cellar. "Alice dear, while were gone, do try to clean up the mess your little pet made." He sneered. Once they were gone, I turned away to look at the room again, there was no way to clean this. but that wasn't what made me tear up by far. I suddenly felt a pair of arms wrap around me. I looked to see Mrs. richards hugging me to her bossom, and suddenly, it was as if everything came crashing down on me at once, and I just lost my composer.

"There there dear. I understand." She whispered, stroking my hair and whispering softly into my hair in efforts to calm me as a bawled. I cried for what felt like forever, feeling comforted by another woman for the first time in ages.

Just as I thought I was calmoing down a bit, and my crying was begining to lessen, when another horrid screach peirced the air all around me, and brought on a whole new round of tears.

As Richards and Riplure reached the door at the bottom of the stairs, they turned to eachother and just stared at eachother throught the darkness. The single candle they brought down providing plenty of light to see by in the pitch darkness.

"You should probably brace yourself sir. It's not a pretty sight."

"I can handle this Richards."

"I suppose so... What are you planning on doing?"

"Just talking at first, but If he's still defying me, I will have to beat him."

"And if he doesn't fight? If we've finally broken him?"

"... I'm not compleatly sure. It's a delacate situation."

"I know sir."

"..."

"..."

"Richards?"

"Yes sir?"

"Does he love her?"

"...I'm certain of it."

"Does she love him?"

"Most likely."

"Do they know?"

"I don't think so sir."

"Perfect."

"What are you planning?"

"You'll see in good time Richards. Just wait and see." And with that, Riplure opend the door.

**!**

**Latin: sanctus crap quod iustus factum!? *** English translation: HOLY CRAP WHAT JUST HAPPENED?!**

**I can not believe how long it's been since I've worked on this?! Luckily I actually know where this is going now so WHOO! The other night I was reading some of this it it hit me! I was like: CRAP! I need to finish this or die! So I will try my best to focus! **

**I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry! I am a horrible person, but I will try to get better about this... Words can not describe how sorry I am that I left this hanging for so long. **

**Tarrant: WHERE THE SHUCKUM HAVE YOU BEEN YA' TURD?! **

**Me: Well I uhhhh-...**

**Alice: You've been watching other fandoms haven't you?! **

**Me: Uhhhhhhhhh-...**

**Tarrant: UGH! MY LITTLE PONY?! WHAT THE HECK?!**

**Alice: And what's this ONCE UPON A TIME show? **

**Tarrant: And Thor of all things?! **

**Alice: WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOUR SELF?!**

**Me: ... Loki is awesome cuz he does what he wants, Mr. Gold/Rumplestiltskin Trolls like a boss and, Discord is voiced by Q from Star trek! **

**Tarrant: ... Point taken.. Heeeeyyyyyy? Do you have some kind of thing for villains or something **

**Me: Well as Ferb said: "****A hero is a hero but everyone loves a good villain."**

**Alice: Seriously? Phinias and Ferb? You spend to much time with your brother. **

**Me: I also have the date set on my callender for the day the Hunger games comes out on DVD... **

**Tarrant: Your pathetic... But so do I. **

**Alice: Yah.. Me too...**


End file.
